May, 2009
Donor Confidence on the Rise
Positive views edging higher month by month since October 2008
Confidence among individual American donors edged higher in April 2009 to an index level of 88.2, according to a nationwide survey published by polling firm Campbell Rinker. The firm’s April Donor Confidence Index topped a score of 87.5 measured in February and bested the 84.7 measured in December. This trend suggests that donors are gradually gaining confidence in 2009.
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The baseline index of 100 was established in February 2008, and takes into account donor confidence, donors’ self-reported expectations about their future giving, their views on the nonprofit sector and the nation’s economic health, and a half-dozen other responses.
While nearly half of donors (48%) say they expect to give the same this year compared to last February, 28% expect to give less, and 15% expect to give more.
In releasing the fourth edition of the confidence tracking poll since October 2008, study author Dirk Rinker notes that “donors are reluctant to say they plan to give the same or more in the coming year, even though they feel better about the state of the country at this point.”
In April, a 51% majority of donors were satisfied with the country’s direction, up strongly from just 32% of donors in December. Furthermore, the proportion of donors who see the economy in decline is now 29%, half the level it was in October 2008, and the proportion that expects the economy to improve within the next year jumped from 23% in February to 33% in April.
“On the whole,” Rinker adds, “donors are feeling much better about the direction of the country and the prospects for economic recovery within the year. For the time being, we don’t see that optimism translating into a renewed willingness to give.”
Study Methodology
Campbell Rinker has conducted surveys for nonprofits since 1991. For this edition of the Donor Confidence Report, a total of 504 donors from a panel of 2,324 known U.S. donors were polled on April 24-26. The margin of error for the April 2009 edition is ±4.4%. The study is published bi-monthly.
To qualify for the Index respondents were required to be at least 18 years old, to have made a charitable contribution in the past year and to have completed the DonorPulse™ poll in February 2008.
The Donor Confidence Index represents a true longitudinal view of American donor opinions in February, October and December 2008 and February and April of 2009.
To purchase the complete 10-page Donor Confidence report for April, visit here.
One in Four US Donors Support the Arts
Campbell Rinker recently released the results of a compelling survey among 839 random donors who support Arts, Culture, and Humanities. We’ve continued to study these donors through polling to measure and track changes in their economic confidence.
Some of the most interesting findings include the following:
- Out of 3,312 surveys completed by donors in 2008, 25% reported supporting the arts, culture, and humanities in the previous year. This category generally includes institutions geared towards the arts, languages, philosophy, ethics, theology, history, or communications. Just to make things simple, we’ll call this group arts and culture.
- Donors who support arts and culture are growing more confident as the
year progresses, according to a new tracking poll released by Campbell Rinker. Donors are more confident about the economy recovering sooner, with the direction of the country, and more satisfied with Federal leadership.
- Despite this increase in confidence, the proportion of Arts donors who say they plan to give less in 2009 than they did in 2008 increased sharply, surpassed only by this proportion among donors to political causes. This suggests that while donors may feel more confident, it will take some time for these feelings to show in the willingness to give. Click on the chart below to view a larger version.
- On average, households supporting arts and culture donated $233 to this sector in 2007, which is about 10% of their average household giving budget of $2,250. This is slightly higher than the national average of $2,140 for all charitable households.
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Donors to arts and culture are more likely to give via postal mail than donors overall (66% vs. 56%), and significantly more likely to give via Internet than donors overall (30% vs. 21%)
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Four motivating factors tied as the most compelling reason to give to arts and cultural institutions. These are how the arts improve the quality of life for people, benefit the community, benefit children, and offer a high-quality experience.
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One in six arts and culture donors (17%) have a will, trust, or estate plan that includes charitable giving. This is above normal compared to other sectors, especially the 21% of arts donors with income over $75,000 who claim to have left a charitable legacy.
- Just over two-thirds, or 68%, of donors in the U.S. recommend the organizations they support and are most familiar with. Among arts donors the percentage is even higher, at 78%.
- More than half of arts donors who are 50 years old and younger (51%) are interested in supporting places that let them play a more active role in the organization. This is true for only 31% of arts donors 50 or better.
The full 80-page report may be ordered from our web site. >>>visit here
