Donor Trust Special Report: Online Giving Platforms and Donor Expectations
Topics Covered
In the Give.org Donor Trust Special Report: Online Giving Platforms and Donor Expectations, we examine how donors discover and use online giving platforms, as well as donor assumptions, expectations, and preferences regarding charity participation, giving platform responsibilities, fees, transparency, and donor relationships.
Key Findings
Highlights from the report, based on a survey of more than 1,500 U.S. adults, include:
Social media and online giving platforms play an important role in charity discovery:
- Social media ranked as the leading source for learning about charitable organizations, cited by 54% of online giving platform users and 44% of respondents overall. Meanwhile, 33% of giving platform users say they discover charities through these platforms.
- Among respondents who reported making a charitable donation in the past three years, most have given through at least one third-party online giving channel. This includes 70% who have given through an online giving website or platform, 48% through social media, 31% through a crowdfunding site, and 26% through donor-advised funds.
- Gen Zers and Millennials are especially likely to use giving platforms to discover charities, with 82% of each group reporting they use giving platforms often or sometimes for this purpose.
A charity’s presence on a well-known giving platform can signal trust:
- 62% of giving platform users, and 47% of respondents overall, say a charity’s presence on a well-known donation platform would increase their trust in the charity.
- Younger generations are more likely to view giving platform presence as a trust signal, while older generations are more likely to say it does not affect their trust.
Donors often assume charities manage their own giving platform profiles:
- 48% of giving platform users, and 41% of respondents overall, assume charities themselves are responsible for creating and managing their donation pages.
- Only 12% of respondents overall assume giving platforms create and manage charity page content.
- Awareness of concerns about online fundraising platforms creating charity donation pages without charity permission remains limited, with fewer than half of respondents saying they were aware of these concerns prior to the survey.
Donors expect accuracy, oversight, and charity involvement:
- A significant portion of respondents expect online donation platforms to take a proactive role in verifying and overseeing charities before listing them.
- Among giving platform users, 51% expect giving platforms to ensure displayed charity information is accurate and timely, 45% expect platforms to ensure charities have been vetted by an independent third party, and 42% expect platforms to verify charities’ tax-exempt status with the IRS.
- Most respondents want giving platforms to obtain a charity’s permission before creating a profile on the charity’s behalf, including 60% of giving platform users and 56% of respondents overall.
Donors prefer opt-in and vetted charity listings:
- When asked to choose between giving platforms that include only charities that have explicitly agreed to participate and giving platforms that include as many charities as possible, more than half of respondents prefer giving platforms that list only charities that have agreed to be included.
- Similarly, when asked to choose between giving platforms that include as many charities as possible and giving platforms that include only charities vetted by a third-party organization, a majority prefer giving platforms with vetted charities.
- Younger generations are more receptive to broad charity inclusion and discovery, while older generations show stronger preferences for charity permission and vetting before organizations are listed.
Transparency and connection influence donation decisions:
- Among giving platform users, trust in online donation platforms is most strongly driven by transparency about fees and how funds are used (53%), clear and accurate information about listed charities (51%), and assurance that charities have agreed to be listed on the platform (43%).
- When donating through an online giving platform, 49% of users prefer feeling connected to the charity and receiving updates rather than avoiding follow-up contact.
- Giving platform users generally expect fees to remain relatively low and donations to reach charities quickly, with 46% saying total platform fees of 5% or less are acceptable and 62% saying funds should be delivered within three days of donating.
Infographics
Infographics from the Give.org Donor Trust Special Report: Online Giving Platforms and Donor Expectations.
The Trust Placed in Giving Platforms
Online giving platforms increasingly shape how donors discover and evaluate charities. Younger adults are more likely to learn about charitable organizations through social media and giving platforms, while older generations rely more on television and direct mail. A charity’s presence on a well-known donation platform can also influence trust, especially among platform users, with 62% saying it increases their trust. At the same time, donors expect giving platforms to play an active role in ensuring charity information is accurate and timely, ensuring the charity has been vetted by an independent third party, verifying tax-exempt status, and helping ensure funds are delivered promptly.
Public Support for Charity Opt-In
Many donors assume charities are involved in creating and managing their online donation pages, even though platform-generated charity profiles remain a point of concern across the sector. Among giving platform users, 48% believe charities create and manage their page content, while only 12% believe giving platforms create and manage the content. Most giving platform users, 60%, prefer that giving platforms create charity profiles only with a charity’s permission, and 55% favor giving platforms that include only charities that have explicitly agreed to be listed or partnered with the platform. Together, these findings suggest that charity consent and opt-in participation can play an important role in strengthening donor trust.
Download the Full Report (PDF)
Download the full Give.org Donor Trust Special Report: Online Giving Platforms and Donor Expectations.
