The generosity market - France (2025)

1.2 The global market

Culture and habits differ from one country to another, so the act of giving is also more or less deeply rooted depending on the region. Overall, we can see that the number of donors is growing. In ****, *.* billion people gave their time, money or helped someone they didn't know. These figures come from the World Giving Index, an annual report published by the Charities Aid Foundation, which ranks over *** countries according to their generosity. The WGI assesses generosity through three main criteria:

Helping a stranger: the percentage of people who helped someone they didn't know. Donating money : the percentage of people who made a donation to charity. Volunteer : the percentage of people who donated time to an organization.

The graph below shows the evolution of the Global Charity Index. It is growing steadily, after dropping by * points in ****. [***]

Evolution of the share of the population having made a monetary donation, helped a stranger or volunteered World, **** - **** Source: ****

Indonesia ranks first in the World Giving Index for the seventh year running, having first overtaken Myanmar in ****. Nearly nine out of ten Indonesians donated to charity, and more than six out of ten spent time volunteering - the country dominates global rankings ...

1.3 The French market

Donations from individuals

According to the **** study of declared donations in ****, published by France Générosités, the amount of donations deby taxed and non-taxed households in France stood at **** million euros in ****.

Change in total donations declared by taxed and non-taxed households France, **** - ****, in millions of euros Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, Traitement Recherches et Générosités Corporate donations More and more French companies are becoming corporate sponsors, motivated in part by the fact that this practice entitles them to corporate tax reductions.

Evolution of corporate philanthropy France, **** - ****, in millions of euros and thousands of companies Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, Admical processing

The number of companies involved in corporate philanthropy rose steadily over the decade from **** to **** (***). There were ***,*** corporate sponsors in ****, around three times as many as in ****. Likewise, the amount of donations has risen sharply, doubling in just ** years.

2.1 The French and associations

Overall, more than half of French people (***) say they have confidence in associations and foundations, compared with **% who do not.

French people's level of trust in associations and foundations France, ****, in Source: ****

In ****, **% of French people feel they are being asked to make donations to associations and foundations. This feeling is present in **% of people aged ** and over.

French people's feeling of being asked to make donations France, ****, in Source: ****

According to the confidence barometer, **% of French people say they have already made a donation to an association or foundation.

Percentage of French people who have already made a donation France, ****, in Source: ****

2.2 French donations

Types of donation :

Today, direct debit donations make up **% of total collections in ****, compared with just **% in ****. This upward trend in regular direct debit donations is encouraging for fundraising organizations, as it reflects growing donor loyalty. In effect, regular donations enable public-interest organizations to perpetuate their action programs and better anticipate unforeseen events[***]

Share of direct debit and one-off donations in total donations, in current euros, excluding emergencies France, ****, in % Source: ****

Following the marked acceleration observed between **** and ****, due to the confinements linked to the Covid-** pandemic, the year **** saw a notable increase in one-off online donations. Indeed, these donations rose by **.*% in current euros compared with **** (***). As a result, online donations now account for **% of all one-off donations collected, compared with just **% in ****. [***]

Types of one-off donations made by the French, in current euros, excluding emergencies France, ****, in Source: ****

Cyclicality of donations:

Every year, we see a significant rise in donations in the last quarter of the year. The graph below illustrates this cyclical pattern.

Share of one-off and direct debit donations, by quarter France, ****, in Source: ****

Looking even more closely, we see that of the **% collected in the last quarter, **% of donations are made in December. This can be ...

2.3 Donor profile

According to INJEP's public statistics report n°** of September ****, **% of men donate, compared with **% of women. with identical other characteristics, being a woman increases the probability of giving by * percentage points compared to a man. [***]

Distribution of donors, by gender France, ****, in Source: ****

Farmers and craftsmen are the least numerous donors. This is largely due to the low percentage of the population belonging to this category (***). Retired people are among the most numerous donors. They represented **% of donors in ****.

Donors by socio-professional category France, ****, in Source: ****

2.4 French people's preferred causes

The chart below illustrates the causes favored by the French in terms of donations.

Which of the following causes do you prefer to donate to? France, ****, in Source: ****

Beyond the causes themselves, certain associations are also more or less attractive to the French. Donation levels vary greatly from one association to another. Recherches & Solidarités has compiled a table of the ** biggest fundraisers in ****, excluding bequests and corporate donations.

Ranking of the ** biggest fundraisers, excluding bequests and corporate donationsFrance, ****

Source: ****

2.5 Generosity, beyond monetary donations

Volunteering in France is mainly based on altruism, with **% of volunteers motivated by the desire to be useful and do something for others. The causes defended are another important driving force (***).

French people's reasons for volunteering France, ****, in Source: ****

The volunteer experience is largely positive, with **% of participants appreciating the encounters and exchanges. Effectiveness and usefulness are also valued (***) remain more secondary sources of satisfaction.

French people's satisfaction with their volunteering experience France, ****, in Source: ****

The main disappointments of volunteers in France concern the lack of resources, whether material or financial (***), are a source of frustration for a minority. Finally, the recognition and place accorded to volunteers within associations is a source of dissatisfaction for **%.

French people's disappointments with their volunteering experiences France, ****, in Source: ****

3.1 Overview of the non-profit sector and the generosity market

Between *.* and *.* million associations were in action in ****, of which **,*** were created during the year[***].

Distribution of associations by sector of activity France, **** - ****, as % of total Source: ****

Sports and cultural associations alone account for over a third of French associations. The leisure sector completes the podium. On the other hand, associations committed to the environment account for just *% of the French associative fabric, despite the importance of contemporary ecological issues.

An IFOP survey reveals that around **% of French people are involved in associative activities, a figure equivalent to that of ****, representing around **.* million people. Of these, *.* million are actively involved every week. The involvement of young adults, particularly those aged ** to **, has increased, reaching **% in ****, compared with **% in ****. In contrast, participation by people aged ** and over has dropped by ** points, stabilizing at **%[***].

The diagram below describes the interactions in the generosity market, from the donation to its declaration to the tax authorities, for both donor and recipient.

Source: ****

3.2 Change in the number of players

Since ****, the number of associations created each year has remained broadly unchanged.

Change in the number of associations created France, **** - ****, in thousands of companies Source: ****

On average, some **,*** companies have been created each year over the past ** years. Between July **** and June ****, half of all associations created were in the entertainment sector, whether related to culture (***).

The number of volunteers performing civic service has risen sharply since ****, providing further insight into the changing structure of the French associative fabric.

Evolution of the number of volunteers having completed a mission during the year France, **** - ****, in thousands Source: Agence du Service Civique Despite a significant drop in the number of volunteers in ****, caused by multiple confinements, civic service has rapidly attracted new applicants in ****, resuming the strong growth momentum begun in ****.

Although many associations are created each year, as shown in the first graph, many associations also disappear, particularly those that employ people.

Change in the number of employing associations France, **** - ****, in thousands Source: URSSAF and MSA, R&S processing As a result, the structure of the French associative fabric is constantly evolving, with employing associations springing up and disappearing in a wide variety of sectors.

Number of salaried associative ...

4.1 Overview of traditional donation drives

As described in the introduction, there are currently three ways of donating to associations and foundations. These are manual donations, gifts and bequests. Donations are generally collected in the form of manual gifts, and more specifically in the form of cash donations. A particular feature of the donation offer is that it is not systematically expressed by associations and foundations, who do not necessarily solicit the donations they receive. However, many of them do make repeated appeals for donations, usingintensive marketing to solicit the generosity of the French. Techniques used include mailings, gifts and street collections.

Street collections

Old-fashioned but still effective, this technique is being used more and more, as it helps find loyal donors. There are even service providers who employ people from outside the associations to recruit new donors. for example, the NGO Greenpeace, a pioneer in street collections, raises * million euros a year using this technique, or **% of its income[***].

Television charity events

Created in ****, the Telethon is one of the world's leading television charity events. It is organized every year by the French Muscular Dystrophy Association (***) to raise funds for research into genetic neuromuscular diseases. This televised marathon lasts ** hours. The graph below shows the amounts ...

4.2 New supply trends: digital fundraising and Generosity Day

With the rise of online donation collection platforms such as HelloAsso and Leetchi, the generosity market is experiencing a real revival. In fact, HelloAsso alone counted ***,*** registered organizations in ****. In the same year, ***.* million euros were raised using the platform's tools, and over *.** million payments were made for associations on the site. The total amount raised on the site's crowdfunding platform came to **,***,*** euros. A total of **,*** crowdfunding campaigns were created in ****, and **,*** campaigns received at least one payment (regardless of their creation date[***]. The company takes no commission on donations.

Focus on Giving Tuesday

Originating in the United States in ****, this is the World Day of Generosity and Solidarity. It takes place on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, "in response to the commercial events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday" [***]. The aim of the day is simple: to celebrate and encourage giving around the world. Over the years, the movement has grown to encompass some *** countries. A Giving Tuesday survey listed the donations collected by four collection platforms, giving us the following data:

Amounts collected for Giving TuesdayFrance, **** - ****, in euros

Source: ****

4.3 New supply trends: streaming

In full expansion over the last ten years or so, the streaming referred to in this paragraph refers to the live broadcast of a streamer's content on his or her computer. It has been democratized by platforms such as Twitch, and serves the generosity market, particularly in the context of charity events designed to collect donations for an association. The Telethon, for example, has seized on this new collection channel, creating the Telethon Gaming. Bringing together partners, youtubers, streamers, artists and influencers, the Digital Telethon consists in broadcasting gaming for ** hours non-stop, soliciting the generosity of spectators to collect as many donations as possible.

Zoom on ZEvent:

The best-known charity streaming event, however, is ZEvent. Created by Adrien Nougaret and Alexandre Dachary, this charity project is a "video game streaming marathon during which numerous specialized animators gather throughout the weekend." Throughout the ** hours of streaming, participants encourage viewers to get involved in supporting a charity. This charity changes every year.

The graph below shows the amounts raised by ZEvent over its last * editions:

Evolution of the amount raised by the ZEvent France, **** - ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

We can see that the event has grown in popularity since its creation. ...

5.1 Donations and tax relief

Firstly, the organizations concerned, i.e. those eligible to receive donations, must meet the following three conditions:

be non-profit-making have a corporate purpose and disinterested management not operate for the benefit of a restricted circle of individuals.

The following types of donation are eligible for tax relief:

sums of money paid to one or more associations donations in kind (***) income that individuals decide to forego in favor of associations (***) expenses incurred by volunteers in connection with their associative activities, for which they waive reimbursement.

For donations to organizations of general interest or recognized public utility, "donations give entitlement to an income tax reduction equal to **% of the amount paid, up to a limit of **% of taxable income". For donations to organizations helping people in difficulty, the reduction is **% for amounts of up to €*,***, rising to **% for fractions over €*,***. [***].

5.2 Association regulations

Associations can all receive manual donations, but only some can receive gifts and bequests. These must be declared to the prefecture. Any association receiving at least €***,*** in donations must have its accounts certified by a statutory auditor and publish its annual financial statements in the JOAFE (***).

Gifts, donations and bequests made to associations and foundations recognized as being in the public interest are subject to inheritance tax (***).

The rates applicable are those laid down for succession between brothers and sisters. Thus, for the portion of the donation below €**,***, the applicable rate is **%. For donations above this amount, the tax rate is **%. For other associations (***), the applicable rate is **% after an allowance of €*,***. However, in certain cases, gifts and bequests may be exempt from inheritance tax. This applies to donations made to certain associations recognized as being in the public interest[***].

6.1 Segmentation

• Apprentis d'Auteuil
• Médecins Sans Frontières
• Les Restos du Coeur
• Association Française contre les Myopathies
• Secours populaire
• Secours Catholique
• La Croix Rouge française