Giving Serbia 2022
Giving Serbia 2022: Report on the State of Philanthropy
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Catalyst Balkans has been monitoring philanthropic activity in Serbia and the Western Balkans since 2013, and consistently providing annual reports on philanthropy. Through this report, you will be able to discover philanthropy in Serbia during 2022 and how citizens, organizations, and companies have supported the social good.
In the context of global philanthropy trends, 2022, the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, held unique significance due to the ongoing global crisis. Simultaneously, the Ukrainian war outbreak highlighted the need for urgent action. The aftermath of Covid-19 continued to impact donor communities worldwide, constraining their capacities as economic instability persisted, as highlighted by the Global Philanthropy Indices and the Charity Landscape 2022 report. Technological shifts and artificial intelligence reshaped giving patterns, presenting new fundraising challenges. The evolving landscape demands sustained donor attention, prompting organizations to embrace innovative technical solutions to foster connections and maintain engagement.
TOTAL RECORDED GIVING
€ 33.3 million
Recorded amount
4,557
Number of instances
€ 5.0
Recorded donation per capita
The trend of philanthropic giving in Serbia has shown a positive trajectory until 2020 when it peaked due to the increased need for assistance during the Covid-19 crisis. However, in 2021 a decline in philanthropic activity was noted as the crisis passed.
During 2022 the inflation, with a rate of 15.1%, in Serbia resulted in decreased purchasing power for socially disadvantaged individuals, making it harder for them to afford necessities like food, housing, and healthcare. This increased the demand for support and assistance. Additionally, inflation may have limited the resources available to the public for philanthropic actions.
According to the Giving Balkans database, in 2022, a total of 33,3 million euros was donated through 4,557 unique donation instances. The donated amount per capita was 5 euros. It's important to note that the information about the donation amount was available for 37.6% of the recorded instances.
TRENDS OF GIVING
When compared to 2021, the donated amount in 2022 decreased by 21.8%, despite an increase in the total number of donation instances. This decline can be attributed to a reduction in the occurrence of large outlier donations, which had a significant impact on the total amount in 2021. For example, from all recorded instances for which data on the value is available, only 3% were instances with a value higher than 5,000 euros, while in 2021 this percentage is significantly larger (21%). A large share of the recorded amount was collected by the Budi Human Foundation (18.6 million euros). However, this amount is smaller when compared to 2021 (24.3 million euros).
CAUSES
Healthcare remained the most frequent cause of giving in 2022, accounting for 34.3% of all donations. There was an increase in support for marginalized groups compared to the previous year, with the percentage rising from 17% in 2021 to 21.8% in 2022. Other key causes included poverty relief (12.4% of all instances) and education (10.9% of all instances).
In terms of lesser-supported causes, seasonal giving stood out, comprising 8.3% of all donation instances. Similar to the previous year, donations for healthcare primarily aimed to provide medical treatments. For the support of marginalized groups and poverty relief, the focus was predominantly on humanitarian support.
DONORS
Around half of all donation instances were from private entities (citizens through mass-individual giving and individuals), which aligns with the previous year’s trend
Mass-individual giving accounted for the highest share at 36.5% of all instances. The second most frequent type of donor was the corporate sector (25.6% of instances), followed by mixed and other donors (15.1%), individuals (14.4%), and nonprofits (8.4%). When compared to 2021, mass individual giving increased, while the share for the corporate sector decreased. Additionally, diaspora donors, encompassing all donor types, accounted for 13.2% of all donations in 2022.
RECIPIENTS
Nonprofits continued to be the primary recipients of philanthropic giving in Serbia, with an even higher percentage in 2022 compared to the year before. In 2022, nonprofits accounted for 45.2% of all donation instances, while they represented 42% of all instances in 2021.
On the other hand, the recorded philanthropic activity toward the state (institutions and authorities) decreased. Institutions had a share of 17.6% of all instances, while authorities had a share of merely 2.9%. Approximately one-third of all recorded donation instances in Serbia were directed toward individuals and families in need..
FINAL BENEFICIARIES
People with health issues were the most actively supported beneficiary type, with 20.3% of all donation instances and 58.5% of the total donated amount. Other key beneficiaries had a somewhat smaller percentage. Donations intended for the population from local communities generated 18.4% of all donation instances, followed by people with disabilities (18%), and people in economic need (17.2%).
The largest change in the structure of beneficiaries when compared to 2021 was the decrease in the share of donation instances intended for the population of local communities (from 23.2% in 2021 to 18.4% in 2022). This decline can be attributed to a higher proportion of giving intended for people with health issues and people in economic need.
INTENDED EFFECTS OF GIVING
Catalyst Balkans also categorizes giving based on its intended effects: to support short-term humanitarian needs or to address strategic needs that make a long-term impact.
In this sense, in 2022, donations with short-term effects were the most common form of donations in Serbia. This represents a continuation of the trend from previous years.
Donations with intended short-term effects comprised of 61.6% instances while donations with intended long-term effects had a share of around one quarter of all instances in 2022. Compared to 2021 a decrease in short-term giving was noted.
To learn more about our methodology, please read this article.
The Giving Serbia 2022: Report on the State of Philanthropy is realized by Catalyst Balkans with the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The opinions expressed in the report do not reflect those of the donors.
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