Only 20.4 percent of Americans report a high level of trust in charities, resulting in a wide gap between potential donors and nonprofits seeking their support, a study from the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance (Give.org) finds.

The report, Give.org Donor Trust Report 2022: Five-Year Review of Trust and Giving Attitudes (PDF, 60 pages), a longitudinal study begun in 2017 that followed the changing attitudes among 2,100 respondents in the United States and a related survey of 1,000 adults in Canada, identified an increase in “high trust” across a range of categories, but found that trust overall remained low. Among all respondents, 38 percent expressed an openness to solicitation, with 17 percent expressing a desire to be approached more by charities—a threefold increase from the 5 percent reported in 2017. However, 57.7 percent of respondents identified the financial responsibility of nonprofits among the top deterrents to charitable giving, with one-third indicating they were discouraged by high fundraising and management expenses and one-quarter unclear about how charities will use their donation.

The report echoed findings of a previous survey, which found younger generations more likely to say they will not donate if they are not sure what the charity will do with the money (28 percent among Gen Z compared to 15 percent for older respondents), while older generations are more likely to be discouraged when a high portion of contributions is spent on overhead (50.6 percent compared to 26 percent). According to Give.org’s report, older generations are more likely to choose monetary donations (55 percent compared to 31 percent) and give to individuals in need (33.5 percent compared to 17 percent). Younger respondents are more likely to volunteer (42 percent of Gen Z compared to 29 percent for older respondents), attend fundraising events (16 percent compared to 6 percent), raise awareness by engaging their network (22 percent compared to 3.5 percent), and raise money through their personal network (22 percent compared to 7 percent).

The report cautioned that the ability of the sector to build on donor generosity is dependent on public trust and on the sector’s alignment with the way people want to be engaged in advancing a greater good. “With growing concern about how eroding trust might harm publicly soliciting charities, our survey found reasons for hope,” said Give.org president H. Art Taylor.

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