The coronavirus pandemic and the tremendous need for relief to nonprofits is causing a surge in interest in giving, according to new data from Fidelity Charitable. The firm’s donors have already recommended more than $100 million in grants from their donor-advised funds to pandemic relief, and grant volumes were up 36% in March from a year ago, according to the data.
Fidelity Charitable is asking its donors to maintain the momentum and recommend another $100 million in grants between now and May 5, which is Giving Tuesday.
A recent Fidelity Charitable survey found that the need was dramatic, with 95% of nonprofit employees saying the pandemic had impacted them in one or more of these areas: programming, fundraising or engaging volunteers. And while nearly eight in 10 donors expect to maintain or increase their charitable giving this year, nearly half of recent volunteers plan to decrease the amount of time they volunteer or stop it altogether due to social distancing guidelines.