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Will Donors Be in the Giving Spirit This Holiday Season?
By Malini Sekhar, Associate
November 2010

Which do you want first – the good news or the bad news?

Let’s start with… the bad news: 86% of those surveyed in the American Red Cross Holiday Giving Poll report their personal finances are the same or worse than last year.

And now… the good news: 72% still plan to donate the same or more to charity during this holiday season.

In an economy that is still recuperating, the results of the Holiday Giving Poll and the 2010 Holiday Trend Tracker survey are encouraging for nonprofits that are expecting the worst as another holiday giving season approaches.

The Holiday Giving Poll includes the results of 1,005 telephone interviews conducted nationally. While 70% of respondents are planning to reduce one common holiday expense (such as travel or decorations) this year, only 23% plan to reduce their charitable contributions relative to the previous year.

Another interesting finding is that while more women than men have the inclination to give out of tradition during the holiday season and in light of the economy, men are likely to donate in higher amounts.

  • 86% of women, versus 69% of men, believe that helping someone less fortunate is an important part of the holiday tradition. 65% percent of women, versus 51% of men, feel that giving to charity is more important in challenging economic times.
  • BUT, of the 57% of Americans planning to give to charity this season, 38% of men will give more than $100 to charity, compared to 24% of women.

The complete results of the Holiday Giving Poll can be found here.

Using an online survey reaching 1,044 adults, the 2010 Holiday Trend Tracker offers a similarly positive forecast. Half of survey respondents said they have already purchased or plan to buy a holiday gift that supports a cause this year, and 89% want companies to support charitable causes this holiday season. However, interestingly enough, less than half (47%) plan to support a company’s cause effort through social media networks.

Click here to view the full 2010 Holiday Trend Tracker study. (You will have to sign up to download a copy).

As we slowly rebound from this economic recession, the two polls suggest we may have reason to be cautiously optimistic during this giving season.

Schultz & Williams is a national consulting firm based in Philadelphia; providing management, fundraising and marketing consulting for nonprofit organizations, along with full-service direct marketing, database and creative/production services.