German Donation Monitor - Spiegel and Süddeutsche report
Der Spiegel and the Süddeutsche Zeitung report on the German Donation Monitor 2023, which is conducted by Bonsai Research for the German Fundraising Association. Der Spiegel writes on 2 February: "According to a survey, donation behavior in the country differs according to political preference. According to the survey, supporters of the Greens are the most generous (...). Voters of the AfD are significantly less willing to donate than those of other parties." Just one result of the German Donation Monitor that shows how many interesting details about the donation behavior of the population the study contains.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung also took the publication of the German Donation Monitor as an opportunity to address the topic. However, its article entitled "Tired Gifts" focuses more on the general results of the German Donations Monitor and appeals for donations in the run-up to Christmas. Quote: "The 'German Donation Monitor', a market research study by the German Fundraising Association, predicts a lower donation rate for 2023 than in the previous year: only 48% of the population is expected to donate something. Last year, the figure was 53% (...). The average amount per donor is expected to remain slightly below that of the previous year: 170 euros per year, three euros less than in 2022. Christmas donations are a tradition in this country. So it's all the better that everyone really does remember to donate in the run-up to Christmas: aid organizations, supermarkets, employers and even television."
In this context, Süddeutsche Online also quotes Larissa Probst, Managing Director of the German Fundraising Association: "No one in Germany wakes up in the morning with the idea of donating". Larissa Probst makes the point that, as with consumer decisions, we often need external impetus when it comes to donating.
Further information on the German Donations Monitor 2023 study and informative charts can be found on the website of the German Fundraising Association at: dfrv.de/spendenmonitor-2023.
The podcasts for the German Donations Monitor
If you prefer to "listen in" and learn more about donation behavior, you will find what you are looking for in the "neues stiften" podcast. The new podcast with Larissa Probst, Managing Director of the Fundraising Association, is specifically about the differences according to voter behavior. "We have a lot of discussions in fundraising on the right fringe," she says. For Larissa Probst, the Donation Monitor shows a very clear connection between political rejection and social commitment, including other questions.
Another "neues stiften" podcast does not focus on party preferences, but on overarching topics of the German Donations Monitor. The presenters Andreas Schiemenz and Jörg Schumacher talk to Prof. Tom Neukirchen from the German Fundraising Association and Jan Borcherding, Head of Bonsai Public and co-initiator of the Donations Monitor.
In addition, the current issue of "Fundstücke", the member magazine of the German Fundraising Association, analyzes the development of donation behavior on the basis of the study. Jan Borcherding sums up one aspect of the article that should not only be of interest to fundraisers: "After many years of the Donation Monitor, I can say that there are three points in time and three situations or experiences in people's lives when they start to donate. Firstly, when they complete their studies or vocational training and start their first job, secondly, when they start a family and thirdly, when they retire." In other words: It's never too late to start donating.