Younger people in Bulgaria are significantly more likely to donate money to charity and volunteer their time for causes that they care about, when compared to older generations according to the Bulgaria Giving report by Charities Aid Foundation.

The youngest group aged 18-24 are more likely on average to have donated or sponsored both in the last 12 months (72 per cent vs. 51 per cent on average) and in the last four weeks (40 per cent vs. 26 per cent on average).

The report was commissioned by BCause, Bulgarian partner of the Charities Aid Foundation, an international charity that helps people and companies to give worldwide.

Commenting on the report, Elitsa Barakova, Executive Director of BCause said: ‘Our findings show that the majority of Bulgarians view charities in a positive light. It is a clear sign for those involved in the sector that working honestly and transparently pays off and encourages them to address Bulgarian donors more often in the future.’

Amongst Bulgarians who volunteered their time, the most popular cause is supporting children (46 per cent), followed by older people (34 per cent), the poor (33 per cent) and disabled people (26 per cent).

Believing that we all need to help solve social problems is the most common reason given by Bulgarians as to why they gave money, with nearly half (45 per cent) saying this. This is especially important for women, of whom over half (51 per cent) say this underpins their giving, compared to 39 per cent of men. Because it makes donors feel good (43 per cent) and wanting to help people less fortunate than them (37 per cent) are the next most cited reasons.

Knowing for sure how their money would be spent is the main thing that would encourage Bulgarians to donate more money, with 61 per cent saying this, followed by having more money themselves which over half (54 per cent) say would encourage future giving. More transparency in the sector is also of importance, with a third (33 per cent) citing this reason. Only 3 per cent say that nothing would encourage them to give more in the future.

Read the full report here: https://www.cafonline.org/