The pandemic years with lockdowns and short-term work, the war and the energy crisis, including inflation: many people need to save. This is also reflected in the willingness to donate. The 2022 donation report was presented on Wednesday morning in Vienna. And this “for the first time with queues of concern”, as Günther Lutschinger, managing director of the Austrian Fundraising Association put it.
Although the Austrians are still generous, many organizations have been suffering for months due to record inflation. The deciding factor is the Christmas season, when 25 to 30 percent of donations typically arrive.
Up to 900 million possible
“If the positive calculations are correct, we will receive 900 million euros in donations this year, which would be a huge amount”, explained Lutschinger. For comparison: This would be more than in the pandemic years 2021 (870 million) and 2020 (810 million). If, on the other hand, the negative scenario occurs, one may also be below that.
What is particularly important to Austrians? A defining topic of this year is, of course, Ukraine. “This year we experienced the worst war since the Second World War. This led to an unbelievable amount of donations,” explained Lutschinger. More than 100 million euros were donated in the first few months alone.
children and animals
Other than that, most donations go to children (33% of donations), followed by animals (32%). Next come beggars and the homeless (22 percent), disaster relief at home (21 percent), and then projects to end world hunger (14 percent).
And who gives? In Austria, it is mainly about small and medium-sized companies. “People in midsize companies donate significantly more than rich people. The culture of giving among the rich is not as pronounced here as in Germany, Liechtenstein or Switzerland,” said Lutschinger.
People with a migration background are also very willing to donate, even if the data in this area for 2022 has to be evaluated first. “But these people often know what it means to be in need.”
less donations
Of course, as already mentioned, there are also areas that are already seeing a decline in willingness to donate, such as development cooperation. “This decline hurts us,” explained Reinhard Heiserer, managing director of “Jugend Eine Welt”.
“We know that gas and electricity bills burn a huge hole in your wallet,” Heiserer said. However, many projects are already at risk or could only be implemented with delay: “There is already a lack of funds for a child protection center in Lagos, for example”. be funded and implemented by 2023. Not to forget: “Our lives also depend on the people of the Global South. After all, of course we drink our coffee from Ethiopia and orange juice from Brazil.”
“No Rocket Science”
Criticism also comes from politicians: “The government program is full of plans for non-profit organizations. But after three years none of this has been implemented,” Lutschinger said. Improvements in tax deductibility would be central. “Why would a donation to a school in Romania have tax advantages and a donation to a school in Austria not? It’s illogical,” he gave An example. “It wouldn’t be rocket science to extend tax concessions to the education sector, for example.”
“The Christmas donation has never been more important than this year”, emphasized Lutschinger at least at the end of the presentation. “If you’re looking for a meaningful gift, you can make a donation in the form of a sponsorship.”