Right around this time of year, when the candles get lit or the lights go up, and the caroling starts, we all get thinking about how to help our neighbor. Among those of us who do donate, 74% say we are willing to give whatever we can afford or have available, but charity is so personal that it appears hard to even explain how we make our decisions about when, why and who to give to.
And we Americans certainly don’t act with one collective generous mind. Among those who donate to charity:
- Some of us like to give to the same charities year over year (53%) and some of us prefer to mix it up (46%), apparently depending on what’s in the news; what our favorite celebrities tell us; or whether we’re caught in the right mood at the right time.
- About half of us (51%) prefer to specify exactly how our donation is used; while the rest of us don’t.
- Most of us (73%) prefer to be anonymous with our donations; but a handful of us (27%) like to be acknowledged.
- And each year, most of us say we try to give as much as we possibly can, but some of us instead try to determine what the charities truly need (21%); follow our religious beliefs or customs (13%); donate a set percentage of our annual income (9%); or assess what tax benefit would be beneficial (5%).
More next week on the holy grail for charities – what exactly inspires Americans to give?
