Survey looks at philanthropic behavior of Romanians living abroad

A total of 72% respondents in a survey which looked at the philanthropic behavior of Romanians living in the US, UK, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Spain said they donated in the past 12 months or intended to donate. The surveywas initiated by the Romanian Diaspora Funding Network (RDFN), with financial support from the Romanian-American Foundation.

Their average annual contribution is of approximately EUR 780, in contrast to the EUR 61 per year reported by donors in Romania. Donations in the United States, Belgium, and Germany often hover around EUR 1,000 per year, reflecting relatively higher income levels in these countries. Italy and Spain see sums of EUR 300–500 annually.

NGOs and foundations are the favored beneficiaries across the diaspora, with over half of respondents indicating a preference for giving to these types of organizations, the survey found. Around 40% donate to families or individuals in need, a figure that climbs above 50% in the United States and the United Kingdom. Health- and charity/volunteering-related causes also attract significant support, while arts, culture, sports, and business associations draw notably smaller shares of donations overall.

Most donors (79%) contribute primarily to causes in their country of residence, although 36% also send money to support various projects in Romania, reflecting emotional and community ties to their homeland, the survey found.

Most donors cite trust, efficacy, and emotional benefits (feeling good about yourself or making life better for someone close to you) as motivations for donating. Trust is paramount in the act of donating, being cited by the highest percentage of donors.

Among the main barriers to donations, the lack of transparency of beneficiary organizations is cited by 47.7% of respondents, being most important in Italy (54%), Spain (51%) and the United Kingdom (50%).

The most active donors prefer digital methods such as online bank transfers, card payments, or direct debit. In contrast, occasional donors are more likely to contribute via SMS, buying tickets to charity events, or payroll deductions. In Belgium (37%) and Germany (33%), online bank transfers are the most popular method, while in the US, only 23% of respondents use them. In Spain, direct debit is preferred by 18% of respondents, the highest rate among the countries analyzed.

The survey included interviews with almost 2,000 Romanians (non-representative sample) aged between 25 and 55 from the US, UK, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Spain. The report was produced by the Research Center for Civil Society, based on quantitative research conducted by Wave Research and qualitative research conducted by Triskuel. The research includes country-specific differences (profile), as well as comparisons between countries and the comparison with Romania.