Fewer people donating, but average donor giving more
A smaller proportion of people have been donating to charities in Singapore, but the overall donations have gone up over the past 10 years, going by the findings of a biennial survey.
That is because the average donor is contributing more, according to the survey that aims to track trends in volunteering, philanthropy and other forms of giving among Singaporeans.
Overall donation rates dipped from 91 per cent in 2008 to 79 per cent last year, the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre's (NVPC) said yesterday. But the average contribution per donor more than doubled from $300 to $661 in the same period.
Last year also saw $2.11 billion donated to organisations, a climb from the $0.98 billion they received in 2008.
"Financial security is among the top three life priorities for Singaporeans, which suggests that in times of perceived economic uncertainty, more Singaporeans may hold back cash giving," said Mr Jeffrey Tan, NVPC's director of knowledge, marketing and advocacy.
The study, which is in its 10th edition, also revealed that despite the ubiquity of digital platforms, most Singaporeans have only used offline modes to donate (77 per cent) and register for volunteering opportunities (63 per cent).
The survey also found a growing pool of former volunteers. These are people who had previously volunteered but had not done so in the past 12 months.
The survey covered 2,100 respondents aged 15 and above, including Singapore citizens and permanent residents.
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