Only 4% of Moldovans donate money to NGOs

Donations to NGOs are nearly 10 times lower than donations for church and beggars. According to a study published by the Institute of Marketing and Surveys IMAS-INC and commissioned by EveryChild Moldova, only 4% of Moldovans donate money to NGOs, Info-Prim Neo reports. IMAS director Doru Petruti said during a press conference that most donations are money (66%), food (31%), clothes or footwear (25%). The average donation over the last 12 months was about 600 lei. Moldovan women with high income are the most likely to donate. According to the study, Moldovans prefer to see the beneficiary face to face and aren’t too open towards NGOs that conduct professional fund-raising activities. The report also draws the general characteristics of non-donors. First, there are those who think that regularly paying taxes cancels the need to donate. Then, there are people with low income, who can’t afford any donations. The third kind is people who simply don’t trust NGOs. Eight of 10respondents couldn’t define an NGO or even name any. One third of them think NGOs do money laundering and only 2% consider NGOs have a role in fighting corruption and protecting consumers’ rights. 4% of respondents declared themselves members of non-governmental organizations or volunteered over the past 12 months. “Our people are untrusting, they are afraid to associate, to risk. They don’t know the advantages of social capital and what they could do through associations and engagement in social activities. At the moment, the lack of visibility and information affect many and it’s hard to expect donations when this domain remains unknown”, concluded Doru Petruti. Anatol Mamaliga, Communication, Advocacy and Fundraising manager at EveryChild Moldova, said his organization would elaborate a communication strategy and training program for NGOs in Cahul, Ungheni, Falesti and Calarasi districts, where EveryChild has mother and child’s social protection programs. “The study results raised some questions. We knew people were more willing to donate to the church, but we didn’t expect such a big difference. Until now, Moldovan NGOs relied on foreign grants, but its time we approach potential donors here, in Moldova”, said Anatol Mamaliga. The study was done in 60 communities between October 22 and December 4, with 800 respondents. It has margin of error of 3%.