Status: 02/01/2023 5:16 p.m
The willingness of Germans to help has hardly diminished in 2022 despite inflation. Although the number of donors is lower than ever, the amount of aid money remains almost unchanged. Donations were made primarily for Ukraine refugees.
Despite inflation, Germans continued to give large amounts of money to charitable organizations and churches in the past year. A total of almost 5.7 billion euros were donated, according to the “Balance sheet of helping 2022” presented in Berlin by the German Donation Council.
That is 1.6 percent less than in the previous year. In 2021, at around 5.77 billion euros, the best donation result since the start of the survey in 2005 was recorded.
“Balance sheet of helping 2022”: Germans are donating more than ever before
Markus Reher, RBB, daily news at 4:00 p.m., February 1, 2023
Fewer donors, higher donations
The number of donors fell by 6.5 percent to around 18.7 million people last year compared to 2021 – lower than ever. The negative trend that has been observed for a long time is thus continuing, it said. It was only interrupted in 2021 after the flood disaster in Germany.
The average donation “per act of donation” was therefore 43 euros. This is an increase of one euro compared to 2021 and a new high since the survey began. The average frequency of donations per donor remained at a slightly improved level of 7.1 compared to 2021.
Decrease in aid for children, culture and churches
According to Martin Wulff, Managing Director of the Donations Council, donations as part of the Ukraine aid were the main reason for the good result. The majority of donations, at 76.4 percent (previous year: 75.8 percent), once again went to humanitarian aid. A third of this went to emergency and disaster relief.
All other areas of humanitarian aid, such as development aid and child and youth welfare, had to record declines. In addition to humanitarian aid, only animal protection was able to increase donations.
There were significant declines in the area of culture and monument preservation. There, the proportion of the total donation volume fell from 2.6 percent in 2021 by 51 million euros to 1.8 percent (102 million euros) in 2022. Donations for the “Church/Religion” area fell by 0.6 percentage points to 13.7 percent of total donations (779 million euros).
Donations within the framework of the Ukraine aid are decisive for the good result of the “Balance of Helping” 2022.
Image: picture alliance / Andreas Gora
Older people are particularly fond of donating
According to the donation balance, the 70+ generation continues to be the most generous. As in the previous year, their share of the total volume was 43 percent. The amount donated per person over the age of 70 rose by five euros to 421 euros compared to the previous year. However, the number of donors in this group is falling.
The amount of donations among 40 to 49 year olds has collapsed. While this age group still contributed 16 percent to the total volume in 2019, it was only nine percent in 2022.
At the same time, the total annual donation fell from 320 euros per person in 2019 to 234 euros last year. All other age groups, on the other hand, have increased their annual donations, some significantly, compared to 2019.
Figures are based on a representative sample
The market research institute GfK in Nuremberg examines the donation behavior of the Germans annually for the “balance of helping” on behalf of the donation council. The analysis is based on a monthly, representative sample of 10,000 German participants aged ten and over. The German Donations Council is an umbrella organization of 70 non-profit organizations.
However, inheritances, large donations, voluntary work, donations in kind and donations to political parties and organizations are not included in the “Balance sheet of helping 2022”.
Donations from inheritances are increasing
There is “great growth” in the area of inheritance, for example, said Larissa Probst, managing director of the German Fundraising Association, of the dpa news agency. “Resources from the economic miracle are now being passed on. But also with donations above the 2,500 euro limit drawn by the donation council.”
Different definitions of donations result in different results: According to the latest figures for 2021, the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI) states around 12.9 billion euros in donations in Germany. Donations of up to 30,000 euros and from people who are not German are recorded.