“Solidarity” is the word we associate 2020 with – a year of global medical, social and economic crisis with long-term negative effects. Against the backdrop of the explosive spread of Covid-19 we witnessed an enormous wave of human empathy and mobilization – that is the big conclusion drawn by the Bulgarian Donors Forum in its annual analysis of the volume and the trends in donation in this country. The study is being conducted for the 14^th consecutive year, and its latest edition registers a 19% increase in the financial donations made by companies, foundations, individuals and sole proprietors compared to 2019, a total of 117,237,895 Leva, says Bulgarian Donors Forum Executive Director Krasimira Velichkova. Health, the social sphere and education remain a priority for private donors in Bulgaria.

“The main conclusion from the analysis is that people in Bulgaria were extremely generous in 2020 and, of course, acted in solidarity with the efforts to curb the Covid crisis. Donations by private individuals in the country are up by almost 30%, donating a total of close to 15 million Leva,” Krasimira Velichkova says in an interview for BNR-Blagoevgrad.

In 2020, Bulgarians were in 45^th position in the most prestigious global giving index, which measures generosity in 114 countries - the CAF World Giving Index. It is the highest position the country has reached since the index was created in 2009.

• Bulgarians place 45th in the world when it comes to charity

Traditionally, Bulgarians donate most to social causes but as a response to the crisis, the share of donations in healthcare has gone up from 42% to 56%. As in previous years, the most active donors are people aged 30 to 50, and the people in big cities who are economically active.

49% of the total amount donated during the year comes from companies – a little over 58 million Leva. “Last year the donations made by companies, both Bulgarian and foreign, are bigger than the donations made by foundations,” Krasimira Velichkova says.

Health and the social sector account for the biggest share of donations last year, taking the place of what has so far always been cause No.1 for donations in Bulgaria – education, the analysis shows. The donations from foundations in Bulgaria in 2020 registered a slight drop by 3%, and amounted to 44 million Leva. This money was mostly targeted at tackling the social and the economic consequences of the crisis by supporting various vulnerable groups – disabled children and seniors, elderly people who live alone, families in extreme poverty etc.

“What I see behind the figures is, first and foremost, the highly-responsible behavior of donors in Bulgaria in the conditions of crisis. We are witnessing more donations all over the world, and that is something very typical – in times of crisis there is a wave of empathy. The other thing I see behind the figures is the enormous amount of trust the donor community have in the people who can do the job in the field. In civil society organizations, for example,” Krasimira Velichkova says.

Interview by Rosinka Prodanova, BNR-Blagoevgrad

Editing by Vessela Krasteva

Photos: pixabay, BGNES