Russia low but rising in charity rankings
Russia is slowly climbing the rankings in the area of private charity work
03.12.2013
The British Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has, for the fourth time, published a league table of world private charity ratings. Year on year, Russia is slowly but surely climbing the rankings. According to the results of long-term research undertaken by the World View World Poll Company Gallup, Russia was in 123rd place, having risen 15 positions since 2010.
This improved situation echoes the views of many Russian experts, who speak of real growth in charity work in Russia. However, one fact should be borne in mind, namely that the number of countries that have participated in the ratings’ surveys in recent years has fallen. 153 took part in 2010 and 2011, 148 in 2012, with only 135 countries represented in 2013.
Russia currently shares 123rd place with Mali and Serbia. 10 states are lower than us in the rankings. By way of comparison, in the 2012 charity ratings, 19 countries were behind Russia, in 2011 -22, and in 2010 – 13. Therefore, for the past 4 years, Russia has been near to the bottom of the overall world rankings league table.
Which of those countries that lagged behind Russia on the basis of the previous year’s research are now higher in the rankings? Ecuador – 84th, India – 90th, Bukina Faso – 109th, Madagascar – 113th, Bulgaria – 118th, Benin – 120th.
A country’s place in the ratings is determined by an average score of 3 separate categories: donations to charities; time volunteered to an organisation; and providing help to a stranger in need. As regards donations, Russia occupied 130th place, as was the case in the previous year; for volunteer work – 75th, having fallen 8 places during the year; as regards “help to strangers in need” – 120th place, having gone up 9 positions. At the same time, the percentage of volunteers who were polled during the year was unchanged, i.e. 17%, or 21 million Russian nationals. The numbers of those who made donations to non-profit making organisations fell by 1% (from 7%-6%). Results from research undertaken this year show that nearly 40 million Russians (33% of the population) provided direct help to strangers in need, that’s 4% more than in the previous year.
Russia’s rise to 123rd place is linked to a growth in the direct help to those in need category. This is a general world-wide trend. Across the world, the number of people helping those in need has increased by 200 million during the year, accompanied by another rise in the number of people who work as volunteers and who make donations to non-profit-making organisations.
“It’s great that Russians are starting to help those in need more often” explained the ratings’ Director of CAF (Russia), Maria Chertok. “However, we are still falling behind our neighbouring countries in terms of volunteer numbers and donations. Our citizens are very compassionate, but achieving increases in donations and volunteer numbers is only possible by our continuing to spread the word of the role of charity in society and providing total transparency of the third sector in order to gain their trust. To this end, it is important that our government does all it can to develop the charity sector, and facilitate the creation of a healthy charity culture across the country, in collaboration with business and non-profit-making organisations.”
NKO: CAF (Charities Aid Foundation)
