According to the Czech Donors Forum, individuals, companies and foundations in the Czech Republic donated around 16 billion crowns to charitable causes last year — roughly two billion more than in 2023. Although this year’s figures are not yet available, it is already clear that the positive shift in charitable giving will continue.
Klára Šplíchalová|Photo: Tereza Kunderová, Czech Radio
Non-profit organisations say the number of donations is rising, people are giving on a long-term basis and to a broader range of fundraising campaigns than in previous years. Klára Šplíchalová, director of the Donors Forum, says charitable giving has become a way of life, evolving from occasional acts of kindness to an embedded cultural practice.
“Donors form a fairly homogeneous group, but they are becoming more selective in choosing the causes they want to support. Over the past three years, the year-on-year increase has exceeded half a billion crowns. The most frequently supported areas are education, research, support for people in difficult social situations, and support for the sick and people with disabilities,” she said.
Tomáš Vyhnálek|Photo: Czech Radio
Donors also continue to contribute towards humanitarian aid for the developing world through UNICEF and have consistently supported people in war-torn Ukraine through charities such as Caritas and People in Need. Tomáš Vyhnálek, head of fundraising at People in Need, the country’s biggest NGO helping abroad, says the aid is targeted in cooperation with local authorities.
“For example, we have managed to repair 4,000 homes destroyed by shelling and renovate 19 collective centres. Around 20,000 families also received assistance ahead of winter, which is a major issue in Ukraine,” he said.
Donations annually peak during the Christmas season, including People in Need’s Real Gift campaign.
Photo: Petr Štefan, People In Need
“It works like a standard e-shop, where you use the money to do a good deed –contribute to something that will help save a child’s life, or even buy a donkey or a cow for people in need abroad,” Vyhnálek said.
Last year, nearly 9,000 people purchased so-called “real” gifts, donating more than 18 million crowns.
Caritas Czech Republic presents the results of specific fundraising campaigns before Christmas through its online Advent calendar, showcasing wishes fulfilled for people in need thanks to year-round donor support.
Santa’s helpers|Photo: Czech Radio
Donors annually give both time and money to Czech Radio’s charity drive called “Santa’s helpers” in which volunteers fulfil the wishes of lonely, elderly people either living alone or in old age homes.
The most successful long-running campaign of Diaconia of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren remains the Christmas Shoebox appeal. This year, it collected gift-filled shoeboxes for around 65,000 children. Donors also contribute financially with the money going in support of children in children’s homes and those at risk of poverty.
Last year, Diaconia raised 5.5 million crowns through its financial appeal. This year’s total is expected to exceed six million.