Methodology
Philanthropy can be measured through public polls, expert survey research, and relying on registered data. However, surveys provide only insight into opinions about philanthropy, not the actual behavior of citizens and legal entities. National tax authorities in Western Balkan countries do not register donation data.
Therefore, we opted for alternative data collection methods: through media monitoring at the local, regional, and national levels.
Data are also collected by inspecting important stakeholders in the sector, such as nonprofits that actively gather financial support through donations, private and corporate foundations, etc., through a data verification process.
The collected annual data is then cleaned, consolidated, and analyzed. Final data are made available in three different ways on the Giving Balkans website, through:
Annual reports on the state of philanthropy
Interactive data visualization platform with live data
Stories and blogs on philanthropy and fundraising
However, there are several limitations that arise from this methodology.
| 1. | There is an undeniable gap between the actual situation and the registered data. The registered values certainly underestimate the actual scope and intensity of philanthropic activities. |
| 2. | The media does not report on philanthropy comprehensively, and the media clipping method itself cannot be comprehensive, so incomplete data limits the assessment of the state of philanthropy. |
| 3. | It is also certain that media reports overestimate the presence of large donors compared to smaller ones and the share of money in the structure of all donations (including goods and services). |
| 4. | Moreover, even if the media reports were comprehensive, there is no methodologically perfect way to control data reliability. However, we partially achieve that control through cross-referencing and verification processes in direct communication with donors and fundraisers. |
Nonetheless, we can safely argue that the registered values, although not comprehensive, provide reliable estimates of the minimum level of giving. For example, if we discuss the number of donation instances, we can state with certainty that the number we show is the minimum number of instances that have occurred. The same applies to other indicators, such as the donated amount, structure of donors, recipients, beneficiaries, and more.
Thus, we use this data to indicate the minimum level of giving for social good and monitor giving trends.
Glossary
Philanthropy | Giving for the common good without receiving compensation, i.e., the voluntary giving of money, goods, time, or services to help someone or improve society. |
Donation | The subject of donation, i.e., money, goods, time, and/or services provided voluntarily to those in need, without compensation. |
Donation instance | A unique event (i.e., a case of collecting donations). It can consist of single or multiple donations (e.g., a campaign in which citizens collect mass donations for someone's medical treatment). Although shown in aggregate, donation instances are not the same size, so they are difficult to compare. |
Donor | A private or legal entity that donates money, time, services, and/or goods. To make it easier to follow trends, donors are divided into types. |
Mass individual | A type of donor: numerous citizens who therefore cannot be identified by name. |
Corporate sector | A type of donor: companies (more than 50 employees), corporate foundations and small and medium enterprises (fewer than 50 employees). |
Known individuals | A type of donor: identifiable citizens. |
Mixed donors | A type of donor: cases in which one donation instance includes several types of donors. |
Recipients | Private and/or legal entities that receive donations directly from donors. The types of recipients are non-profit organizations, individuals and families, public institutions, and local and national authorities. As recipients, individuals and families are mostly beneficiaries of donations, while other types of recipients are often a channel for providing assistance to final beneficiaries. |
Final beneficiaries | Target groups for whose benefit the donations are intended. For example, if a particular school is the recipient of a donation, the end-users are pupils of that school. |
Local communities | Target groups that benefit from the use of services for which the local community has received a donation. |
Intended effects | The type of effect that the donation intends to achieve. Short-term donations include consumables, materials, and supplies, while long-term donations include capital investments, equipment, and scholarships. |
