GivingTuesday’s Data Commons is excited to release From Scarcity to Abundance: Mapping the Giving Ecosystem, a lookback into worldwide generosity in 2021. In this new report we not only draw on a broad range of data sources to provide a unique window on the state of giving in 2021, but – equally importantly – we lay the foundation for a rethinking of how the social sector understands – and cultivates – generosity.
Key takeaways include:
- Generosity is abundant and diverse – 85% of people surveyed globally gave in 2021; non-monetary giving was 2x more common than monetary giving. Globally, only 5% of people who gave, gave money only.
- Giving happened broadly across all recipient groups – In the USA, giving to non-registered entities was over 2x more common than giving to registered entities; with most people giving to multiple types of recipients. Only 2.5% of people who gave, only gave money to nonprofits.
- Volunteering for nonprofits has followed its own unique two-year trend vs giving of money – increasing 7.4% in 2021 after a severe drop in 2020 yet remaining far below pre-COVID-19 levels in the US
