Vanguard Charitable giving research reveals the power of budgeting

Donors who give intentionally by making charity part of their yearly financial planning are likely to make a bigger impact.

That's according to a new survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Vanguard Charitable, a leading nonprofit and sponsor of donor-advised funds, which found American donors who budget for charitable donations give nearly three times more than those who do not.

The study, which surveyed over 2,000 US adults, found that donors who included charitable giving in their annual budgets donated an average of $2,344 over the past 12 months, compared to $792 among those who did not budget for it.

Having a war chest for charity could also make donors more responsive in times of calamity. According to the survey, 83 percent of those with a charitable giving budget contributed to disaster relief efforts in the past year – which likely includes the devastating one-two punch from Hurricanes Helene and Milton – compared to 61 percent of donors without a budget.

“Every year, we are excited to see how individuals who prioritize budgeting and set aside dollars for charitable giving are able to make a greater philanthropic impact,” Rebecca Moffett, president of Vanguard Charitable said in a statement. “This commitment to planning for impact highlights how the American public is becoming more strategic in the way they support nonprofits.”

The results represent a notable increase in both giving amounts and participation rates compared to a similar survey conducted in October 2023. In that study, donors who budgeted gave an average of $1,583, while those without a budget donated $892. Additionally, 74 percent of budgeted donors gave to disaster relief, compared to 53 percent of non-budgeters.

According to Vanguard Charitable, donors have shifted their approach in recent years toward integrating disaster relief into planned giving strategies. Rather than making one-off donations in response to calamities, it said donors are increasingly allocating funds in advance for unforeseen disasters, treating them as an anticipated philanthropic need. The tendency to give spontaneously could also kick off a broader virtuous cycle: in an April research report, Vanguard Charitable found users of its DAF platform who respond to unexpected evens also see a broader 24 percent rise in planned donations.

Among donors who supported disaster relief, 62 percent directed at least half of their total charitable contributions to these efforts. Those with a budget gave an average of $610 to disaster relief causes, while non-budgeters gave $336.

Moffett emphasized the value of intentional philanthropy, saying, “We’re continuing to support our clients and partners in answering the challenges of today, tomorrow, and beyond through planning and intentional philanthropy.”