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We are going through a period of devaluation of collections, says the director of the Donor Forum

How is the donor activity of Czechs developing this year, their contributions for charitable purposes?

Unfortunately, this year we are noticing a slowdown in the pace of collection. Of course, there are a number of large, media-known collections that receive a lot of support. But in the last two years, as the population has shrunk due to inflation, in our surveys people have expressed fear that they will not be able to donate as before. And this year’s preliminary numbers confirm it.

And didn’t the September floods change their willingness to contribute to charity? Similar disasters usually cause a wave of support.

People send money, send donation texts, support through benefit concerts, but the pace is not what we were used to in recent years. For example, during the tornado in Břeclavsk and Hodonínsk in June 2021 or after the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, it was not a problem to collect tens of millions in less than a week, and people, as well as companies, almost raced each other in charity. Now those tens of millions are coming together much more slowly.

Of course, the collections do not end. The damage is enormous, in the affected areas it often looks like a war zone, so a lot of help will be needed, not only volunteer, but also material and financial. But the pace just isn’t what it used to be. And there is a question of how it will develop further.

A Moravian-Silesian gang that called senior citizens and with the help of touching human stories, which were fictitious, extorted money from them

What numbers, in terms of the size of the donor market, are we actually talking about?

Specific data on how much was spent this year will be available in November. We are still waiting for data from the financial directorate. But in 2023, people and companies officially donated around ten billion crowns. Of course, contributions are not registered when, for example, someone on the street gives twenty crowns to a homeless person or directly helps a neighbor in trouble.

Besides the economic situation of some households, are there other reasons why people donate less?

Questions that unfortunately arise with some non-professional collections certainly contribute to this. In the last two years, the police also uncovered several fraudulent gangs that were allegedly involved in charity, and then it turned out to be organized crime, which has a negative impact on the fundraising environment.

It was, for example, a Moravian-Silesian gang that called senior citizens and with the help of touching human stories, which were fictitious, extorted money from them. In about three years, he received around twenty million crowns from them. He even had a website where he pretended to be an endowment fund.

And recently, a group of people under the banner of the JSME LIDÉ foundation fund organized a fake fundraiser to help Ukraine. She collected money into piggy banks, which the organizers then used, for example, for their travels.

How to defend against such frauds?

First of all, I would say that there is a long-term high level of donation. Thanks to donor SMS messages and collections of renowned foundations, people are used to trusting. They do not ask who is behind which collection, who organizes it, if they really need it and if there is no other solution.

Which is important because donation platforms have appeared in recent years – but some people also use transparent accounts – and starting a collection is easier than ever.

Sometimes, after all, even an unnecessary collection may not be due to bad intentions, but perhaps just ignorance. For example, in my practice I have met people who are very nice and meant well, but wanted to organize a fundraiser for a benefit concert. That is, for something that itself should generate charity. That’s why it’s better to consult with a foundation first.

People should not be influenced by emotional speeches or suggestive questions. For example: Do you want to help sick children? That is an ill-posed question to which the wrong answer is no

OK, but how to avoid the outright fraudulent ones?

Probably the most basic thing is to look at the website of the Ministry of the Interior, where the list of public collections can be found in the public services section, or inquire about the details of the collection portal, where it takes place.

And how to react when someone approaches me on the street?

He should submit a permit from the municipality or the relevant regional office and specify in detail the use of the collected money, what it is specifically used for, for whom he collects it. Also, people should not be influenced by emotional speeches or suggestive questions. For example: Do you want to help sick children? That is an ill-posed question, to which the wrong answer is no, and it is unfair of the person collecting the money. It puts donors in a completely uncomfortable situation, because it would be difficult to find someone who does not want to help sick children.

Donation should be a balanced partnership. Everyone should choose what they want and don’t want to contribute to, what does and does not make sense to them personally. People should not be influenced by emotional speeches and should make decisions pragmatically, because even a poorly donated hundred crowns can discourage them from supporting in the future.

Somewhere I recorded the sigh of one person that he always liked to contribute, but lately there are so many collections around him that he is tired of it. Are there too many?

I totally agree. It seems to me that we are going through a period of a kind of devaluation of collections. As easy as it is to organize them, many people can get confused about it.

How many times is the fundraiser organized for things for which it is not needed, or much more money is collected in it than was intended, and then it is not accounted for. For example, it is not said that they were used for another voluntary purpose.

Each collection should have a detailed account of what the given money was used for, who it helped.

When we look at what real donors look like, they are often not the richest people

How is the group financing of various projects signed for collection activities? I once saw someone collecting money to open a pub. And for me, somewhat unbelievably, he got them in this way.

With the rise of crowdfunding, when it is chosen for the filming of a movie or the publication of a book, the difference between what is and what is not a collection is being blurred. There is a difference between a charity or community fundraiser and crowdfunding.

There are portals such as Hithit or Startovač, where there are many public benefit projects. However, it is not always necessary to invest in purely business plans. Of course, it’s different if you donate to a friend, for example. But in other cases it should bring something new or at least partially socially significant.

Recently, emotions were aroused by a fundraiser for a tragically deceased university teacher and psychologist, where the organizers wanted to collect ten million crowns for his family, which many people thought was excessive…

The donors were disillusioned with that and asked us whether or not we had anything to do with the collection. We have noticed embarrassment and negative reactions. Unfortunately, this was the obvious unprofessionalism during its preparation. It should always be clear what the money is for, what the social need is.

Behind the collection should not only be a touching story, but also a clear justification of why I want the given amount, what part of it will be used for and whether there are other ways to get the money. And it is necessary to take into account whether the amount chosen for the given purpose is simply psychologically too high.

When we look at what real donors look like, they are often not the richest people. They mostly belong to ordinary income groups. A large number of pensioners support long-term causes from their pensions that give them meaning. And in a situation where a person decides many times what to buy, whether to save a hundred crowns, or whether to donate it to a good cause, disillusionment can arise very quickly.

It then reduces people’s willingness to donate in the future. Most of it goes to organizations and projects that help disabled people in small towns and that otherwise can’t get money.

Klára Šplíchalová

She graduated from the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University and has been working at the Donor Forum for more than fifteen years.

For a long time, he has been involved in the development of donor methods and connecting the commercial and non-profit sectors.

She is a member of the Committee for Legislation and Financing of the Government Council for Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organizations.