Altrata’s latest report provides a unique and detailed view of wealthy donor activity. It focuses on the world’s ultra high net worth (UHNW) population, people with a net worth of $30m or more. The report provides an overview of the global giving landscape and recent UHNW developments. It explores the upward trend in overall philanthropic activity on the part of wealthy donors.
We chart the upward trend in overall philanthropic activity and the significant role played by wealthy donors, as well as the growing influence of the “super rich” and the implications for organizations who rely on engaging with this impactful population. The report highlights the latest trends and challenges for fundraisers against a backdrop of a growing list of societal and environmental challenges and a declining trend in institutional funding.
Using Wealth-X, the report reveals the characteristics of ultra wealthy donors who are particularly generous from a philanthropic giving point of view. RelSci data is used to examine the network connections around ultra wealthy donors: making the most of this sphere of influence can be hugely powerful for fundraisers. This crossover potential can extend to corporates and foundations, showing the value of data and potential new avenues for donor prospecting.
Key findings: Ultra wealthy philanthropy 2024
- The ultra wealthy gave a total of $190bn to philanthropic cause in 2022, almost 25% more than in 2018. These individuals, who each have a net worth of $30m or more, account for a prominent and growing share of all individual giving, at almost 38%. Focusing even higher up the wealth chain, the world’s 3,200 billionaires accounted for 8% of all individual giving. There are significant gains to be made by organizations that can tailor their prospecting and engagement strategies to this demographic.
- The ultra wealthy in North America were the source of almost half of all global UHNW donations, giving a total sum of $91bn. This largely reflects the region’s elevated wealth and its longstanding tradition of public giving. Europe’s ultra wealthy gave a third of all UHNW donations in 2022, and the region experienced one of the strongest growth rates in (nominal) annual giving globally, with a 29% rise between 2018 and 2022. UHNW giving in Asia accounted for a modest 13% global share. Although Asia is the world’s second-largest ultra wealth region, its non-profit sector is less developed (but expanding quite rapidly).
- Donors with a very high affinity for philanthropic giving – defined as the top 20% of UHNW donors, who have donated the highest proportion of their total wealth since 2018 – are different. We find that wealthy women are more likely to have a high affinity for giving. Also, there is no clear connection between an UHNW individual’s source of wealth and their charitable generosity, while liquidity is higher among UHNW high-affinity donors, comprising 46% of their wealth holdings on average.
- Aside from sports, the top interests vary considerably among those who give to certain causes. Aviation and technology are among the main passions of UHNW donors who give to educational causes, while travel is of more interest to those who give to the arts and culture. Organizations often need to adopt different approaches to establish a link to the cause they are advocating for – and drawing on wealthy people’s interests and passions can help light that spark or strengthen an emotional connection.
- Almost one in five of all UHNW individuals has a private foundation. This share increases to almost 30% among those with a net worth of over $100m, underlining the growing number and importance of private charitable foundations. UHNW individuals with private foundations are generally older, have a slightly higher female representation and are more likely to have solely inherited their wealth than the average UHNW individual.
Discover philanthropy trends across the globe
- New challenges posed by recent extreme market shocks and a declining trend in institutional funding
- A growing interest in impact investing
- The unique motivations of the younger wealthy generation
- The search for a more international donor portfolio
Methodology:
This report uses data from two of Altrata’s Wealth Intelligence brands: Wealth-X and RelSci. To profile wealthy donors in greater depth, this report leverages the unique and proprietary Wealth-X Database, the world’s most extensive collection of curated research and intelligence on wealthy individuals. Our database provides insights into their financial profile, career history, known associates, affiliations, family background, education, philanthropic endeavors, passions, hobbies, interests and much more. We also use Wealth-X’s Wealth and Investable Assets Model in order to size philanthropic giving by the ultra wealthy, as well as additional secondary research and in-house models.
Our connections data was leveraged from RelSci, an Altrata sister company. RelSci’s database covers 10 million influential individuals and 1.2 million organizations.
Analysis of the report’s data and additional insights were provided by the Wealth-X Analytics team. Leveraging the Wealth-X Database and its own data models, Wealth-X Analytics provides customizable data assets tailored to an organization’s needs.
Interested in more? Access our previous Ultra High Net Worth Philanthropy Report from 2022 here.