Nearly 3 out of 5 people plan to participate in charitable activities at year-end, study finds

In-person participation in activities such as volunteerism, faith-based community activities, and random acts of kindness are all projected to grow, compared to 2021, a signal of a return to pre-pandemic levels

87% of year-end financial givers plan to maintain or increase their giving to charitable causes

BOSTON, November 28, 2023 – A new data brief released today by Fidelity Charitable^®, an independent public charity and the nation’s largest grantmaker, shows that nearly 3 out of 5 people plan to participate in charitable activities in a variety of forms at year-end—a participation rate similar to 2021, when economic indicators were particularly strong.¹ In addition, after shrinking during the pandemic, volunteerism and other in-person acts of generosity are expected to be on the rise.

Outlook 2023: Perspectives on End-of-Year Giving surveyed just over 1,000 Americans, including 661 givers, defined as anyone who had participated in a range of giving activities within the past year: financial donations to nonprofits or individuals, donations of products or goods to nonprofits or individuals, and volunteering. Several questions from a similar Fidelity Charitable study conducted in 2021 were repeated to understand if attitudes toward the economy, personal financial outlook, and giving had changed.

For those who are making monetary gifts in 2023, 87% plan to give the same amount or more than last year, with 30% planning to give more and 57% planning to give the same amount; 13% plan to give less. Those planning to increase their giving most frequently cited positive changes to their income or interest in a charitable cause as the rationale.

Aside from financial donations, people are planning to expand the ways they demonstrate generosity at year’s end. Among many charitable activities, givers plan to engage in:

• 31%: Faith-based community activities (a 12-point increase from 2021)
• 34%: Random acts of kindness (a 9-point increase from 2021)
• 29%: Volunteerism (a 9-point increase from 2021)

The strong participation in giving is continuing in spite of economic concerns: 80% of givers say they’ve thought about how the economy may impact their ability to give, including 42% who have thought about this a fair bit.

“Given the impact of inflation and the economy, many nonprofits have been struggling,” says Amy Pirozzolo, head of marketing at Fidelity Charitable. “It’s heartening to see that people are not only continuing to give back, they’re increasing their efforts—especially important face-to-face efforts like volunteering.”   

Read the data brief here.

¹ New Data Show that Economic Growth Was Broadly Shared in 2021, 2022, the White House.

About Fidelity Charitable

Fidelity Charitable is an independent public charity that has helped donors support more than 382,000 nonprofit organizations with nearly $73 billion in grants. Established in 1991, Fidelity Charitable is rooted in innovation, from its launch of the first national donor-advised fund program to its facilitation of difficult-to-donate assets to its tech-forward giving platform. The mission of the organization is to grow the American tradition of philanthropy by providing programs that make charitable giving accessible, simple, and effective. For more information about Fidelity Charitable, visit https://www.fidelitycharitable.org.