Challenging the myths – individual giving for African civil society organizations
Historically, reports on giving in Africa have been dominated by perspectives, many of them Western, that overlook the nuances and realities of local giving practices. Studies have tended to focus on formalized, institutional philanthropy – often through large organizations, international development agencies, or high net worth individuals – with the effect of under-recognizing the deeply ingrained and culturally significant traditions of individual giving that exist within African communities.
By directly engaging with civil society organizations (CSOs) to understand all the different sources of funding they receive and their prevalence, this report sits in contrast to the external narrative and seeks to align it with the internal African experience.
In the first pan-African study of its kind, the report reveals that individual giving is a significant source of funding for CSOs. A very considerable 65% of organizations surveyed receive some form of financial support from individuals. Indeed, it is one of their top sources of funding, including during the pandemic. Notably, donors contribute not only to traditional charitable causes but also to broad advocacy, human rights, social justice and environmental efforts, contradicting the prevailing myth that African individual giving is principally informal and predominantly localized.
The research highlights that alongside individual donations and community-generated funds sits a third and important category discovered in the surveys that speaks to the interconnected and networked nature of African social engagement and civic participation. Personal sources, the naming of this category in the findings, allude to the cultural ways Africans give to society that they would not call philanthropy.
The report also emphasizes that despite occasional challenges, giving remains steady. For example, individual contributions continued unabated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published by: EPIC-Africa
Published: December 2024
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