People began to provide non-monetary assistance more often in 2020

08.09.2020

The payment system ‘Mir’ has been researching charitable donation activity. They surveyed 1200 people and analysed their transaction data, taken from the National Payment Card system (NSPK) on all card payments considered ‘charitable’ from 1 January to 31 August 2020.

In 2020 fewer people gave money to charity, with 43% of those surveyed making donations in 2020 as opposed to 47% in 2019. The majority (32%) donated 100 to 1000 roubles a year. The percentage of those donating less than 100 roubles had decreased (from 18% to 5%) and those giving large sums of above 5000 roubles also fell (from 6% to 3%).

It was primarily people living in cities in the Volga or Central Federal Districts and with a population of 500,000 to 1 million people that made charitable donations. The majority of donors were mid-level managers aged between 35 and 44.

The most common beneficiaries of charitable donations were organisations that help to protect animals or the environment (37%, up from 30% in 2019), as well as those that give money to victims of natural disasters (29% versus 33% in 2019).

This year the number of people giving non-financial charitable assistance increased significantly (44% as opposed to 7% in 2019). Researchers attribute this shift to an increase in the average age of donors and link it to the support given to those who are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus: for example, buying food for elderly people who are self-isolating.

Source: https://www.asi.org.ru/news/2020/09/08/2020-charity/