PPB November 2020

by Audrey Sellers Cha r i t i es Maya Afzaal / Shutterstock.com Drumming Up Donations With Promotional Products When charitable organizations choose promotional items to engage volunteers and connect with donors, they can inspire greater giving—even amid the pandemic. T he pandemic has changed the way many people spend their money, but it hasn’t made them any less generous. In the United States, 77 percent of people say they now spend less on going out to restaurants, 70 percent spend less on travel and 26 percent spend less on hobbies, according to Statista. However, charitable giving is up. Human services charities, such as homeless shelters and food banks, saw a 68-percent increase in grants year-over- year, according to Fidelity Charitable, a public charity that works with nearly a quarter million donors. Many charities, such as Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army, have struggled to keep up with donations, according to Today . Some thrift stores have seen a surge in donations of 20 to 40 percent since the beginning of the pandemic. Even during times of personal hardship, many feel compelled to give. Those who were laid off or furloughed due to the pandemic are among the most charitable, with 62 percent donating to charity, according to LendingTree. Among the tens of millions of Americans who received stimulus checks from the IRS, many donated all or a portion of their checks to those in need. Charity Navigator reported record-breaking traffic on its site and a 237-percent increase in donations the week stimulus checks went out. Gallup reports that about three in 10 people have assisted in COVID-19 relief efforts. While 30 percent of Americans indicated they 54 | NOVEMBER 2020 | GROW