Everyday Actions, Extraordinary Potential: Engaging Everyday Donors

People across the US give their time and money to the topics that matter most to them. Everyday givers and volunteers participate because they want to make their communities better. Generosity is part of who we are, but the shape it takes continues to change as fewer people are giving to and volunteering with nonprofits. There has been a steady decline in the share of households giving to nonprofits — dropping from 66.2% in 2000 to 49.6% in 2018 and a parallel decline in the rate of volunteering — from 27% in 2002 to 23% in 2021.

In the face of these changes, the Generosity Commission was convened in 2021. Their mission is to better understand giving and volunteering today – and protect and promote the future of generosity. The Commission listened to and learned from scholars, practitioners, and everyday donors. Their work has led to a comprehensive report which contains 9 recommendations ranging from increasing the availability of data on giving and volunteering to taking youth seriously as givers and volunteers. Join several of the Commissions elite Co-chairs as they share their findings and recommendations and discuss how to make a change.