Hurricane Season Is Coming, but Donations for Disasters Show Signs of Weakening

Twenty-nine percent of households made a disaster-related donation in 2018, down from 31 percent in 2017, according to a new study by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Candid, and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Robert Ottenhoff, CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, says he was concerned by the showing. “This is particularly relevant now. The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season is fast approaching,” he said.

In 2017 and 2018, the United States experienced the most and fourth-most costly years of major natural disasters on record, researchers said. Those disasters included Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017, and Hurricanes Florence and Michael in 2018. Large wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and winter storms occurred in both years. In 2018, there were 14 billion-dollar-plus natural disasters in the United States, which caused approximately $90.9 billion in losses, the fourth-highest cost since 1980.

Other findings from the report:

• The top motivators for disaster giving were the magnitude of the disaster and whether donors felt personally connected to the people who were affected.
• 22 percent of households gave to disaster relief in both 2017 and 2018.
• 18 percent of households said they regularly support disaster relief.
• 7 percent contributed to both U.S. and international disasters, while 2 percent donated to international disasters only.
• 12 percent of households volunteered to assist with disaster aid efforts in at least one of the two years studied.
• 61 percent of households that gave to disaster aid made both financial contributions and gifts of products.