Survey into Russian charitable giving – what and to whom?
Results of a survey on who Russians help the most and how often
22.08.2025
Article published on the givingjournal.ru website
The Aimars communications group, the Sidorin Lab reputation management agency and the X5 Vyruchayem charity, have carried out research on people’s attitudes to charity.
Over a three-month period from 1 April to 30 June, they analysed messages posted on social networks, identified the most popular types of support, named regional leaders in charity and discovered the main reasons for people’s reluctance to offer help.
According to the study, about a third of all engagement is focused on helping children and animals, with donations for medical treatment being a major source of scepticism. The Volga Federal District was an outstanding supporter of charity, having achieved a record of 88% positive responses.
Who receives help most often
Between April and June, Sidorin Lab analysts recorded 5.82 million messages related to charity, reaching a potential audience of 14.9 billion on four social networks (VKontakte, Telegram, YouTube and TikTok), as well as on the Messenger service.
The posts generated 1.99 billion views and 81.9 million interactions. The empathy feed was unevenly distributed: helping children (1.33 million mentions) and animals (1.29 million) generated nearly a third of all engagement, while people were significantly less trusting of donations for medical treatment – only 30.2% in favour and 61.5% dubious.
The most trusted aspect of charity remains food donations, with 49.4% in favour. Geographical data show that in places where people are active on social media but at the same time have close connections offline, the level of trust in charity is significantly higher.
Barriers to trust
“A modern-day philanthropist combines a generous heart with an analytical mind. People are willing to help when they can clearly see where their support is going: whether it be 500 roubles or a packet of pasta, it is important for them to see how their contribution can achieve positive results. If a charity provides details on how this will be achieved, levels of doubt, which are as high as 61.5% when it comes to donations for medical treatment, can fall significantly” says Nikita Prokhorov, Executive Director of Sidorin Lab.
A charity that has acquired an excellent reputation brings benefits to society as a whole. Organisations that are willing to have a proper discussion about how the money raised is spent builds trust in the sector and in so doing removes a psychological barrier to participation. Reputation management is also an important asset that can be used by charities for successful fundraising.
In the research, each request had to pass four psychological filters:
- Trust in a facilitator – 15% had doubts about the charity or brand’s reputation;
- Transparency – 46% had concerns that the money wouldn’t get to where it was intended;
- Financial insecurity – 25% admitted that the family budget was their prime consideration;
- Emotional fatigue: 10%-11% of refusals to donate to children’s and animal welfare causes can be put down to information overload.
Material forms of charity, namely food parcels and food collections for shelters, break down two barriers at once: they provide visual confirmation of a person’s contribution and allay their fears of financial fraud.
This is why food donations have 49.4% support, with only an 8% refusal rate, whereas financial help for medical purposes is only supported by 30% of respondents, while 60% are doubtful. These are dry statistics but, in reality, are living proof that when there is a transparent process setting out how people’s donations will be used, the willingness to offer help increases.
Trust map: how regions respond to appeals for help
Charitable projects receive steady support in Central Russia. In Central District, including Moscow, which attracted 1.16 million messages, positivity remains at 84%, with a 12% rejection rate and only 4% who had reservations. The North-West has a similar 84% approval rating but here you can feel “digital fatigue” in St Petersburg: due to a high content level (31.5% of active contributors), there were slightly more refusals (13%) and only 3% who had doubts.
The Volga was the most empathetic region, with the large cities of Kazan, Ufa and Samara increasing their support for charitable causes to 88%, with the rejection rate dropping to 10%. There were similar results in the Urals: 85% approval and a 12% refusal rate. A stable economy and socially-aware local communities keep trust at a high level. The Southern district confirmed its reputation as a caring region with 86% supportive.
There were modest results in Siberia, with 84% who were supportive and a 13% refusal rate. Economic uncertainty has added to people’s reluctance but overall the mood remains positive. The picture is more complicated in the Far East. Support is the same (84%) but doubts are already at 9% with low media activity (1%-3% of contributors), plus the geographical remoteness of the public to large charities.
However, the situation in the North Caucasus is markedly different. Poor internet coverage has reduced support to 69%, with the rejection rate rising to 19% and 12% who expressed reservations. Here, concerns about the true nature of raising money are more common, with strong feelings that help should come from within the family being heard more often.
Charity works best when digital engagement doesn’t become all-consuming and local communities are active offline. It’s the balance between “average” network density and a vibrant urban environment that ensures a high level of trust and a minimal rejection rate.
Brands are focusing on transparency
Charity is one of the most sensitive topics on the national social agenda and in the information world in general. It can inspire but also be a source of irritation. Specific means of communication are required in order for a project to resonate with, rather than put off, an audience. Scepticism often arises at the start of a project but ultimately, with the proper marketing, we get high engagement numbers and positive feedback, which, over time, translates into trust and respect for the person behind the initiative.
“People mainly respond to initiatives where there is a specific end result, measurable outcomes, an awareness of the author’s contribution, as well as a transparent donation process, whether it be cash or a packet of buckwheat”, says Dmitry Budanov, President of the Aimar Communications Group.
In regions where residents are active on social media and can see how the approval system works, launching initiatives with photographs, delivery tracking and public recognition can result in a 20% growth in public loyalty to a brand. Such open formats turn good intentions into practical action: a couple of clicks and a packet of cereal are enough for a person to have made a meaningful contribution.
For large brands this is an opportunity to become proactive in working for the public good, harnessing the energy of millions of caring people to those who need help right now, while at the same time converting the public’s empathy into trust in the brand.
When helping can become a habit
“The Vyruchayem charity was established by X5 and is involved in making food accessible to all. We provide food assistance to people on very low incomes, as well as large families, people with disabilities and elderly people living on their own”.
“In order to do this we organise food collections in X5 shops, buy goods with the money raised in donations and promote food sharing. Our research shows that shoppers prefer using simple charity mechanisms that require little additional input in deciding whether to make a donation. For example, purchasing goods that includes deductions to charity, transferring accumulated points (cashback) into a loyalty scheme, and subscribing to the RoundUp fundraising app. And food aid is becoming the ideal way of performing a good deed, literally without leaving the checkout. In one step, you buy food both for yourself and someone else”, says Anna Skorobogatova, President of the X5 Vyruchayem charity.
When X5 set up the Vyruchayem charity, the focus was on long-life products. Shoppers put a packet of rice into a special basket and then see the same rice in a family pack, or in a shelter via a shop’s cameras or short videos taken by volunteers. Help becomes tangible, the fear that “the money just disappears” is gone and the gesture of kindness becomes a habit: people come back and put in another bag.
For the market, this model changes the rules of the game. Firstly, it works on the principle of “seeing is believing”: the more specific a donation request is, the easier it is for people to decide whether or not to participate. Secondly, the reputation of the facilitator is strengthened: a brand that guarantees delivery and shows the way publicly builds trust faster than any advertising campaign. Thirdly, the impact is enhanced by local community involvement: city residents spread stories of help in chatrooms, where one positive example leads to another. Finally, according to the statistics, middle-aged women are more like to share such stories, explaining “how simple it all is” and so become the main promoters of this new, heartwarming form of charity.
The modern form of charity is based on two core principles: transparency and accessibility. When a company or charity can clearly demonstrate the process for offering help, people can quickly translate their intentions into practice by making a donation, adding an item to their basket or sharing a link. Such an approach reduces scepticism and increases public involvement, with the brand communicating its values of responsibility, openness and commitment to the local community.
The main thing is to simplify the system as much as possible where each participant makes use of a familiar and reliable channel, thereby ensuring that charity fulfils its main purpose – to provide help for those who need it.
