Swiss donations focused on crises in 2023
Published: Monday, Dec 25th 2023, 09:20
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Crises such as the war in Ukraine and the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey have mobilized the willingness to donate in Switzerland despite increasing pressure on purchasing power. However, donations were concentrated on these crises - in favor of other causes.
The Telethon Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting people with rare genetic diseases, provided an example of this. It recorded a 30% drop in donations in 2022 and fears that this trend will continue in 2023 due to the crises, as it announced at the beginning of December.
"Media coverage crystallizes around disasters and emergencies and it is therefore quite natural that donors want to support dramatic situations," said Cristelle Burlot, Head of Communications at Telethon Switzerland, when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency. According to Burlot, there is "competition" between the various causes to be defended. In view of inflation, rising health insurance premiums and rents, those willing to donate are taking a closer look at what they are donating to.
Record donations for Ukraine
With the mobilization for Ukraine, Caritas recorded record donations in 2022. 44.8 million francs were donated in 2022. The year before, it was 28.4 million. Income of over 30 million is expected for 2023. In the event of disasters in Switzerland or worldwide, donations would increase significantly, Caritas spokesperson Fabrice Boulé told Keystone-SDA.
Swiss Solidarity reports something similar: "Our collections are selective and depend on current events," said spokeswoman Corinne Bahiz on request. In 2022, the war in Ukraine brought in 134 million francs in donations, the second-best result since the organization was founded. In 2023, over 30 million francs were donated for the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey.
After a record donation of over CHF 80 million in 2022, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) is also expecting donations to fall to around CHF 45 million in 2023. This means that the level of donations will be similar to 2021, when around 43.3 million francs were donated. The organization has budgeted around 40 million for next year.
The Ukraine conflict has also led to record donations of 45.6 million Swiss francs for the aid organization Helvetas. This was also thanks to an extraordinary inheritance. For 2023, Helvetas is expecting the second-best result in its history - despite a slight decline in donations to Ukraine. This is particularly due to the fact that the situation on the financial markets has helped the foundation, according to an inquiry.
Drop in donations for development work
The media's attention to the current crises has the effect of "giving an advantage to humanitarian emergency aid by promoting cooperation, which has a sustainable impact in the long term," Aude Marcovitch Iorgulescu, media officer at Helvetas, told Keystone-SDA. "However, we are very concerned about the decline in donations for development cooperation."
Terre des hommes (Tdh) also reports on the effects of the global economic situation on the willingness to donate. The aid organization is also observing a change in the donor and supporter landscape. After a strong year in 2021, the volume of donations at Tdh has fallen by around seven percent in the last two years, with the number of regular donors in particular declining significantly.
NGOs working in the humanitarian field are confronted with growing needs, emphasized Anna Bertschy, spokesperson for Tdh. There are armed conflicts, natural disasters, violence and migration worldwide. Priorities are being placed on defense or reconstruction in Ukraine, said Bertschy. International development cooperation in the rest of the world is being neglected.
The economic and political uncertainties are also reflected in donations for environmental protection. Since spring 2023, the income of the environmental protection organization WWF has fallen by around four percent.
And the disability organization Pro Infirmis also notes that the disasters in 2023 have taken up the funds at the expense of national projects.
©Keystone/SDA
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