Classy's Fourth Annual Why America Gives Report Shows America's Generosity Is Here To Stay

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Classy, a giving platform that enables nonprofits to connect supporters with the causes they care about, unveiled its fourth annual report entitled, Why America Gives 2021: The Lasting Impact of a Pandemic on Donor Experience. The report, which collects findings from 1,000 U.S. adults about their giving behaviors, motivations, and habits reveals that, despite continued uncertainty, Americans plan to continue generously donating to the social sector at high levels.

In 2020, donors across the nation stepped up to support some of the world's most pressing causes leading to a record-breaking giving year. This year's Why America Gives report shows that American generosity will not break, as 84% of respondents intend to donate the same or more in 2021. This generosity is also expected to spread across causes and organizations. Half of donors plan to support at least three nonprofits with one-time donations and about one-third (31%) plan to give multiple recurring donations this year.

This year's report also reveals that the future of giving lies in nonprofits' tailoring the experience to their donors' preferences. While these preferences vary by generation, the move to mobile is more significant than ever: Of those who have donated online, 58% have done so via a website on their phone.

Other top factors donors say leads to an excellent giving experience include:

• Clearly explaining the impact their donation will have (56%)
• The availability of multiple payment methods (39%)
• The option to cover fees to ensure 100% of a donation goes to the cause

"Providing excellent donor experiences is the cornerstone of what we do at Classy," says Soraya Alexander, Classy's Chief Operating Officer. "Over the past year and a half, we've seen the definition of these experiences evolve as supporters demand easier paths to giving. As the report shows, the desire to give remains high, but it's the ability to understand donor needs, paired with the technology to execute on these needs, that enables a nonprofit to confidently craft experiences that make it easy for donors to give again and again."

Additional key findings from the report include:

• Disaster Relief Reclaims Top Cause: The list of most prevalent causes or issues to support this year shows that Disaster Relief (38%) has reclaimed the number one spot from Health (last year's most prevalent cause). Following Disaster Relief, Americans are also committed to supporting the Environment (35%) and Health (33%).
• Younger Generations Are Willing to Sacrifice for Change: Gen Z (60%) and Millennials (49%) are the groups most likely to report making sacrifices in their daily lives in order to have funds to donate, and are also the most likely to be familiar with Giving Tuesday.
• Passion Fuels Generosity: 47% of those surveyed said their primary motivator for giving to nonprofit organizations is passion for the cause itself, with only 4% stating tax write offs as a benefit of the process.
• Recurring Giving Increases: 25% of donors will increase recurring donations from what they gave in 2020. While the Boomers+ generation is most likely to give a recurring donation, over one-third of Gen Z and millennials note that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and related societal needs increased their likelihood to provide recurring donations in the future.
• New Age Payment Methods Intrigue Donors: Donating through PayPal, Venmo, or cryptocurrency captures the interest of 72% of donors who share that they would likely donate through these methods if offered.

Last year, nonprofits using Classy's platform collectively raised $1 billion for social good. This included a record-breaking $37.9 million raised on Giving Tuesday, which was only surpassed by the record $44.4 million in donations processed on December 31, 2020, the single largest giving day in the platform's 10-year history.

For the 2021 giving season, Classy will be launching an interactive map to help donors identify local nonprofits to support, and tracking Giving Tuesday donations in real time on its website.

To download the full Why America Gives 2020 report, click here.

About the Survey
This survey was conducted online between August and September 2021, and reached a representative sample of 1,000 individuals 18 years of age or older in the United States.

About Classy
Classy is a B Corp Certified Public Benefit Corporation and giving platform that enables nonprofits to connect supporters with the causes they care about. Based in San Diego, CA and trusted by thousands of nonprofits, from the fastest-growing nonprofits to some of the world's largest social organizations, Classy's platform provides the formats and flexibility to activate donors when and how they need to by creating more relevant connections to their causes. Since 2011, Classy has helped nonprofits mobilize and empower the world for good by helping them raise over $3 billion on its platform. Classy also hosts the Collaborative conference and the Classy Awards to spotlight the innovative work nonprofits are implementing around the globe. For more information, visit www.classy.org.

CONTACT: Krista Lamp, [email protected]

SOURCE Classy

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