"A global benchmarking survey was published in November, involving more than 140 countries. The survey asked people whether they had donated money to charity in the past month," said fundraising initiative organizer Urmo Kübar.

"It turns out that every second adult in Estonia has made a donation, which is 52 percent of all the people in Estonia. This figure means we have already risen to 28th place among the countries surveyed, and that Estonia has seen the biggest increase when compared to all the countries in the survey."

According to Kübar, Estonian NGOs received €40 million more in donations in 2022 than 2021, reaching almost €96 million in total.

"Estonians have never donated so much before," Kübar said. "Never before have the amounts donated to a single organization been so large. The previous record for donations to a single organization was €3.5 million, but last year over €3.5 million was donated to six different organizations."

"The most popular cause for donors was the provision of aid to Ukraine," said Kübar.

"But the good news is that the three organizations that have traditionally been the most successful fundraisers, such as the Gift of Life Cancer Treatment Foundation, the Tartu University Hospital Children's Foundation and SOS Children's Villages, are still receiving the same level of donations as usual. Thus, donations to Ukraine have not come at the expense of other areas, but in addition to them. This in turn means more and more people are finding their way to charities and existing donors are giving more when they see a real need."

According to Kübar, it is also encouraging to see that Estonian companies began donating significantly more to charitable causes last year.

"Donations rose from €15 million to €30 million," Kübar said. "When it comes to individual donors, there were two target groups that were more active than the others. These were the youngest donors and older, middle-aged men. The latter is the same demographic that also dominates among Estonian business leaders."

To explain why companies and individuals have become more active donors, Kübar said a culture of giving has grown in Estonian society and living standards have improved. He also pointed to the fact that NGOs have done a good job promoting their activities and communicating with potential donors.

In 2022, a total of €95.7 million was donated to Estonian NGOs. In 2021, the figure was €55.8 million and in 2020 it was €48.9 million. €46.9 million was donated in 2019 €40.3 million in 2018.

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