The Pentera Blog
Donors Gave More in 2020 and Plan to Keep Giving in 2021, According to New Research
More than half of donors gave more to charity in 2020 than in 2019—and more than half also say they will maintain their giving this year, according to the latest Burk Donor Survey. The survey reported that 75% of those giving more in 2020 cited the pandemic as a reason.
While the survey is not directly about planned gifts, more than half of the donors surveyed are aged 65 or older—the largest age group for planned gifts.
The 12th Burk Donor Survey, written by well-known fundraising expert Penelope Burk, collected information from more than 20,000 donors who gave to 55 different charities. It was published in July.
The survey found that 56% of donors increased their giving in 2020 over 2019. That was much higher than the increase in giving between 2018 and 2019. At the same time, 53% of the donors said that they planned to maintain their level of giving in 2021—and more than a quarter of those said they planned to give even more than they did in 2020.
