Types of Charities

In a recent survey, we asked donors about the types of charities that they’d be likely to support this holiday giving season. As indicated in the graph below, Human Services (62%) charities came out on top with Arts, Culture, Humanities (27%) charities on the bottom. It seems logical that donors would be more likely to support Human Services charities (food banks, homeless shelters and the like) at year-end when the religious nature of the holiday season reminds us to be thankful for what we have and to remember those who are less fortunate. And it similarly follows that Arts groups would be less likely to be on our mind at this time of the year. Adding to that the recession, which historically speaking has been  a period during which donors redirect their giving away from cultural nonprofits towards those that help the needy, and we can easily understand the responses to this question.

What about you? What types of charities are you planning on supporting this year-end giving season?