From the DW:
“Germans
spread Christmas charity despite coronavirus”
Germany has
experienced a second wave of COVID-19 with Christmas approaching, but it
doesn’t seem to be diminishing people’s willingness to donate to charity. In
2020 private donations are set to reach record levels. Germans are normally in
a charitable mood in the lead-up to Christmas. In November and December, they
donate double as much money to good causes as the rest of the year. But does that
still apply in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic has led many to fear for
their health and jobs? Yes, says Burkhard Wilke, director of the
German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI), which monitors charities.
"When the need is there, donors are more sympathetic and willing to go
above and beyond what they would normally give," he told DW. That has
happened in the past during floods in Germany or earthquakes and storm
disasters abroad. "And without doubt we are reaching such a point now with
the coronavirus crisis," Wilke said.
Record
donations expected v According to a DZI survey, donations to the 30 largest
charity organizations in Germany rose 11.6 percent in the first six months of
this year, compared with the same period of 2019. "According to
everything we are hearing from the organizations, the willingness to donate has
also been positive during the second half of the year," Wilke said.
"That means this year we could reach something like 11 billion euros'
worth of private donations."
Fundraising
concerts from home The global aid organization Doctors without Borders is
also reporting an increase in incoming donations this year. "Even people
who themselves are struggling with insecurity and fears for their livelihoods,
for example artists and companies, have organized living room concerts to collect
donations for Doctors without Borders," said Barbara Gerold-Wolke, who
leads the organization's fundraising department. "That helped us
financially, but also gave us a real boost emotionally." In Germany, three quarters of all donations go
to humanitarian aid organizations like Doctors without Borders. The rest is
donated to environmental, animal rights, sport, education or science groups.
That hasn't changed much in the year of the pandemic. "A new phenomenon in
coronavirus times is that donations are being made not only to non-profit
organizations, but also to businesses," said Wilke from the DIZ.
"Such as something for the cafe around the corner or a local theater or a
concert promoter."
Christmas
without collections Fundraising will be a big problem this year for anyone
trying to do it face-to-face: There are no benefit concerts and only a handful
of people at Christmas church services. "We calculate that donations from
Christmas collections, which make up half our income, will decrease by several
million euros," estimates Michael Heinz, director of Adveniat, a German
Catholic relief organization which works in Latin America.
The need
grows At the same time, the need for donations and voluntary work is now
extraordinarily high. "In the past eight months, many of our project
partners have approached us saying they need medicines, oxygen tanks,
toiletries and even groceries," Heinz reports. In response, the
organization carried out 427 coronavirus emergency projects, worth €7.3 million
euros ($8.9 million). The aid
organization Doctors without Borders has also expanded its projects due to the
pandemic. "At the moment our teams are working against COVID-19 in more
than 80 countries," Barbara Gerold-Wolke said. Plus, "Malaria,
measles and malnutrition were there before and remain so now, and the people
need treatment." That comes with an increased need, for example for
protective clothing, as well as massive logistical challenges due to travel and
quarantine regulations.
Fewer
donors, bigger donations According to a survey published by opinion
research institute Civey on December 1, one in four German residents wanted to
give less money to social and non-profit organizations this year because of the
pandemic. About 13% wanted to give more. These 13%, it seems, want to dig
especially deep into their pockets. So, while fewer Germans in total will
donate this year, the individual amounts donated will be higher. Germany's
most generous donors tend to be older people, and this year is no exception,
Wilke said. Some feel encouraged to donate more because of the pandemic.
"We've had a lot of feedback that older people feel a sense of gratitude
for the way wider society has looked after them as an at-risk group,"
Wilke said. "By making donations, they want to give back."
^ It’s good to
see the Germans continue to be generous to charities despite a difficult year.
^
https://www.dw.com/en/germans-spread-christmas-charity-despite-coronavirus/a-56048399
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