Holiday Charity Survey: Many Donate More During Holiday Season

The holiday season is a time for giving, and many Americans uphold this tradition not only by giving gifts to friends and family, but they also donate time or money to charities. From red kettles to soup kitchens to adopt-a-family programs, people around the country choose to give back during the holidays more so than any other time of the year.

The Season of Giving

In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 57% of respondents said they do donate to charity in some way over the holiday season. Of those who do, 46% said they make a monetary donation directly to an organization, 64% donate to a third party like a bell ringer or store that collects donations for a charity at checkout, 24% buy gifts for people through a mitten tree or adopt-a-family program, 63% donate items like home goods or nonperishable foods, and 22% donate time by volunteering. Women, people over 40, higher income individuals, and married couples were all more likely to donate time or money over the holidays.

Choosing Charities

As for which charities get their donations, 44% said they choose an organization based on where the need is greatest, 41% said they choose organizations that are well-known, 27% said they find organizations through their church or other affiliated group, 25% said they donate when the organization asks or when it’s convenient, and 24% said they do careful research to make sure they agree with the organization’s mission.

The Rest of the Year

Though the holidays are a popular time to give back, many still donate throughout the rest of the year. 25% said they donate often through the rest of the year. 22% said they donate through the rest of the year, but just not as much as they do during the holidays. 27% said they have donated to charity during the rest of the year, but it’s rare. And 25% said they don’t ever donate to charity during the rest of the year. Donating to holiday charity can be rewarding and do a lot of good for those in need. But many think that giving back should be a year-round tradition, not just during December. The widget below shows the results of the AYTM.com survey in full. Be sure to click “open full report” for full details.Photo Credit: Singaporean Salvation Army Bellringer from FlickrWhat do you want to know? If you need some consumer insights on a particular topic, let us know in the comments below and we’ll consider it for an upcoming survey post.

Results were collected on December 11 via AYTM’s online survey panel.