Everyday Donors of Color

The Giving Environment: Giving Trends by Race and Ethnicity

This is one of the two reports in the second phase of the Everyday Donors of Color report series, published in November 2023. It expands previous research by the school on declining donors and explores how factors such as wealth, income, and trust may be associated with giving patterns and trends within communities of color by analyzing the Philanthropy Panel Study (PPS), a longitudinal panel study that surveys households biannually on giving behaviors, and the General Social Survey (GSS), a cross-sectional survey which provides explanatory insights about trust and people’s general social behaviors and opinions. This report’s findings shed light on philanthropy across diverse communities and prove timely due to the uncertainties caused by economic shocks and the rise of social movements advocating for equity.

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Everyday Donors of Color: Diverse Philanthropy During Times of Change

This is the sole report released in the first phase of the Everyday Donors of Color report series, published in August 2021. The Everyday Donors of Color: Diverse Philanthropy During Times of Change report shares findings on the motivations and behaviors of donors of color in recent years. These findings highlight the importance of developing a more inclusive set of philanthropic practices for organizations in the COVID-19 pandemic’s aftermath. The report incorporates a systematic review of existing literature, data from a national survey of American households, insights from focus groups with diverse donors, and two case studies on the impact of mutual aid.

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The Speed of Trust: An Experiment Examining the Effect of Trust on Giving among Members of Diverse Racial/Ethnic Groups

This is another report in the second phase of the Everyday Donors of Color report series, published in November 2023. It is experimental research exploring the interlink between different levels of donors’ trust (high trust vs. low trust) in a charitable organization and their donation behavior, including giving directly to the organization and giving directly to its beneficiaries. This experimental study stands out from existing literature as it examines the effects of participants’ race and ethnicity. It builds on the findings from the first phase report, Everyday Donors of Color: Diverse Philanthropy During Times of Change, that a lack of trust may help explain why many donors of color choose not to engage with nonprofit organizations.

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