New Index Measures Individuals’ Commitment to Philanthropy

The Forbes Insights study found that philanthropists were very much creatures of their geography, with motivations and causes defined by cultures, social needs and economies.

In the Middle East, 63% of respondents said religious faith was the main motivation for their philanthropy. A desire to give back to society was the main driver for 25% of Asian respondents. Seventeen percent of European donors were equally motivated by family legacy, altruistic desire and a sense of duty.

Health was the overall main focus of 63% of survey respondents, though regional differences asserted themselves. Sixty-five percent of Middle Easterners were chiefly focused on social change.

Philanthropists across all regions were united in their reluctance to publicize their giving. Seventy-seven percent of respondents said they either insisted on remaining anonymous or did not actively tout their charity.

Forty-nine percent of European respondents said they regularly used social media to advance causes, while 48% of Asian donors said they occasionally did this. Fifty-seven percent of Middle Easterners said they never used social media to promote causes.

The survey also showed that philanthropists under age 30 in the three regions differed from the overall survey sample in these ways:

• Much likelier to be motivated by personal experience in choosing area of focus:  20%
• Much less likely to be motivated by religion: 17.5%
• More generous: 17.5% gave at least a quarter of annual income to charity
• Likely to more actively promote philanthropy: 45%
• More likely to promote causes on social media: 82.5

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Read 9 Philanthropists Join Buffett-Gates Giving Pledge Initiative on AdvisorOne.