Article originally published at Folha de S.Paulo in 09/04/2024

By Paula Fabiani, CEO of IDIS, and Luisa Lima, communication and knowledge manager

Altruism means spontaneous regard for the welfare of others. In broader terms, it refers to one’s ability to devote oneself to something or someone without expecting anything in return, moved solely by compassion for a cause or situation. When it comes to altruism, we are also talking about donations.

In Brazil, the act of giving is widespread and socially acknowledged, especially in times of emergencies, as the one we recently saw in the floods that hit Rio Grande do Sul – a Brazilian state – in May of 2024, leaving 497 municipalities impacted and 150,000 people displaced. However, we still face many barriers, such as the donors’ distrust of the destination of donations and even the lack of alignment with certain causes and types of organizations. 

What has to happen for Brazilians to see donations not only as a response to crisis, but also as a path for a more just, equitable and generous world?

The recently launched World Giving Index 2024, one of the biggest researches about donations ever produced, with millions of people interviewed in the entire world since 2009, reveals a scenario that may look optimistic at first, but shows that we still have a long journey ahead when it comes to generosity. 

In this edition, WGI included data from 142 countries. Participants were asked if they had taken three types of actions in the last month: helped a stranger, donated money to a charity or volunteered their time to an organization. 

Brazil climbed three positions compared to the previous year and now occupies the 86th place in the ranking. The report points to a slight 3 percent increase in the amount of people donating money to civil society organizations. Helping a stranger is still the predominant behavior, practiced by 65% of respondents.

The survey carried out between September and November of 2023, does not capture the donations made due to the climate tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul.

In 2022, with the country still under the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, we were among the top 20 most solidary countries in the world. At the time, the study highlighted that 3 out of four Brazilians helped a stranger. 

However, since then, we have dropped more than 60 positions in the ranking. From this angle, it appears to be a discouraging result. But, in terms of absolute score, this was Brazil’s second biggest result since 2009.  

The research also presents inspiring world parameters for Brazil. In the last two years, many countries registered meaningful growth in their levels of generosity. Indonesia ranked as the world’s most generous country for the seventh year in a row, with 90% of the population donating money to social organizations and 65% volunteering their time.

Interestingly, among the top 10 most generous countries, only two are between the world’s biggest economies (Indonesia and the United States of America), while Gambia, one of the world’s poorest countries, occupies the 4th place.

Public policies designed to promote philanthropy, such as tax incentives, individual donations matching, and benefits to the practice of corporate volunteering, have had positive effects in Singapore and can be an example for Brazil.

The potential of the Brazilian donor in critical situations and emergencies is unquestionable. However, to strengthen the generosity and giving culture in the country, the practice of donating must become regular.

It is necessary to transform the act of giving into a continuous expression of citizenship and commitment, capable of generating positive and lasting socio-environmental impact in our society. True altruism manifests itself when the donations go beyond the immediate need and become a part of daily life.