Only 15 percent of disaster donations are a result of social media, with the news media and friends making up 72 percent of the motivations to give. And, 56.6 percent of charity officials said the news media is the strongest influence on disaster giving decisions.
A challenge is that just 24 percent of donors responding to the survey said disaster relief appeals are “very clear.”
Those numbers are among the data sets in the new BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s special report titled “Give.org Donor Trust Report: Disaster Relief Donor Expectations.” The Give.org Donor Trust Report series is a periodic survey of adults across the United States and explores donor beliefs, feelings, and behavioral intentions related to charity trust and generosity. The way donors think about trust and giving is dynamic and the reports aim to offer a macro-level view of the state of public trust for the charitable sector, as well as identifying potential areas for improved practice.
Donors were asked: “Thinking about disaster-related appeals you have seen, do you believe that most of the appeals clearly explain what disaster response activities the charity will carry out?” They responded: Very clear 24 percent; somewhat clear 41 percent; not clear 20 percent, and not sure 15 percent.
Younger donors were more likely to respond to a celebrity fundraising for disaster relief. The reasons include being a fan of the celebrity (46.2 percent of men and 30.3 percent of women) and trust in the celebrity’s ability to choose (29 percent of men and 25.4 percent of women). Of those who said they did give, 83 percent said they would have otherwise donated to other relief efforts without the celebrity.
Crowdsourcing is hot, or so people think. Just 14.8 percent of charity officials addressing disaster relief said crowdfunding sites help increase the total amount of funds donated to charities.
For all of the data, go to https://Give.org/DonorTrust
