In previous years, donations directed to individuals and families were most frequent. This trend changed in 2020 when nonprofits became the most active channel of support. Since 2020, the support of the nonprofit sector has gradually increased, reaching 45.2% of all donation instances in 2022.  

Trends in Recipients of Giving in Serbia – 2018-2022 

Graph 1: # of Instances of Giving in Serbia, Disaggregated by Type of Recipient – 2018 – 2022 

How Giving Flowed from Donor to Recipient in 2022 ​

 Graph 2: Flow of Giving from Type of Donor to Type of Recipient by # of Instances in 2022 ​

Nonprofit organizations remain the most active channel of philanthropic actions in Serbia with 45.2% of all donation instances and 82.8% of the total donated amount. Donations to institutions had a share of 17.6% of all instances and 7.9% of the donated amount, while donations to authorities represent 2.9% of instances and 0.5% of the donated amount. Donations directed to individuals and families without any intermediary comprised 32.5% of all instances and 3.9% of the donated amount. 

Graph 3: Distribution of Giving by Type of Recipient in 2022 ​

Nonprofit Sector in 2022: The Role of Nonprofits in Serbia with an Emphasis on Healthcare  ​
 

Giving to Non-Profits 

Nonprofit organizations in Serbia remained the most active channel of support in 2022 with 45.2% of all donation instances. Regarding the types of nonprofits, most of the instances were directed to private foundations (54.7%), followed by domestic associations (44%), while other types had a share of less than 1% of instances. A large share of support to private foundations was dedicated to healthcare-related causes. 

Several nonprofit organizations in Serbia cover giving for healthcare, some of which primary focus is raising funds for medical treatments, such as Budi Human Foundation, and others that cover various healthcare topics, such as National Association of Parents of Children with Cancer - Nurdor, Blic Foundation, Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, and other. According to the Giving Balkans database, in 2022, giving for healthcare generated 65.2% of the total recorded sum, out of which a significant share was donations raised by the Budi Human Foundation. The high share of donations which are raised by the Budi Human Foundation may be attributed to various factors. Firstly, high media representation and established community engagement and reputation within citizens, and secondly transparent providing detailed information on the funds raised.  

During the previous year, the activity of Pokreni Zivot Humanitarian Organization also stood out in the giving for healthcare. Apart from healthcare, the nonprofit sector focused on other key causes as well, organizing campaigns across the country for the support of marginalized groups, poverty relief, and other causes. For the support of poverty relief and marginalized groups, the most active organizations were the Srbi za Srbe humanitarian organization and SOS Children's Villages Serbia.  

Graph 4: Breakdown of Giving to Nonprofits by Type of Nonprofits (% of instances) 

Examples of Giving ​
 
Companies and nonprofit initiative

AIK Banka & MK Group donated 36,000 euros to Family Support Center in Niš, aiding socially vulnerable families in collaboration with SOS Children's Villages. JT International a.d. Senta donated 10,230 euros for meals at Caritas public kitchen.

Humanitarian e-maraton RotaRun ​

Rotaract Club Novi Sad organized the e-marathon RotaRun, where participants registered online, ran their chosen distance, and tracked mileage using an app. Starting at 8.5 euros, registration fees supported National Association of Parents of Children with Cancer - Nurdor.

New Year's Humanitarian Garden

Serbian Philanthropy Forum, Ana & Vlade Divac Foundation, and "Jevremovac" Botanical Garden organized "New Year’s Humanitarian Garden." Companies rented trees, employees decorated them, and funds were raised for garden restoration and food packages. Over 10,000 euros were collected.

Giving to the State 

Giving to the state, which encompasses donations toward authorities and institutions, generated the share of somewhat more than one-quarter of all donation instances. This share is significantly smaller when compared to the giving to the nonprofit sector. Regarding the donations towards institutions specifically, educational institutions received the highest level of support, representing 30.4% of all instances. They were followed by social institutions (29.3%), health institutions (23.8%), authorities (14.3%), and cultural institutions (2%). 

In terms of frequency of support, donations toward the state in 2022 were primarily intended for support of education. The recipients of these donations mainly included educational institutions. Regarding the specific types of donors, the corporate sector was the most active donor type in donations directed to the state. More precisely, from all giving to authorities and institutions, 55.2% of instances and 89.5% of the donated amount was generated by corporate donors. 

Graph 5: Breakdown of Giving to State Institutions by Type of Institution (% of instances) 

Examples of Giving ​
 
Giving to women’s healthcare 

On 8th of March 2022, Women, employees of the DRÄXLMAIER Group, donated funds that were raised for their Women's Day gifts to the „Dr. Boško Vrebalov“ Healthcare Center in Zrenjanin for the improvement of conditions of the Counseling Center for Women's Health Care and the Clinic for Juvenile Gynecology. The total amount raised was approximately 5,370 euros. The company supported the initiative with an additional donation to the Zrenjanin Health Center.

Let the Children's Smile Win Campaign 

The Jedi Movement Association from Niš started the campaign "Let the Children's Smile Win" on the Donacije.rs platform to raise funds for the purchase of a neonatal resuscitation table intended to be donated to the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic at the University Clinical Center of Serbia. As a part of the campaign, a humanitarian fashion show was held in honor of J. R, a mother who died from a lung tumor after giving birth. More than 12,300 euros were raised during the campaign, with the support of 179 donors.

Together for the Community 2022 

NIS ad Novi Sad's "Together For The Community" competition focused on increasing birth rates and reproductive health. Across thirteen communities, around 1,010,700 euros were raised to support IVF costs and medical equipment for healthcare institutions, including Kikinda Health Center.

The Annual report Giving Serbia 2022 was supported by the C. S. Mott Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The views expressed on this web page do not necessarily reflect the views of the C. S . Mott Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and their partners.