site.btaDonations in Bulgaria Experiencing Upward Trend, Stability in Past Five Years, Alpha Research Data Shows

The past five years have seen an upward trend in donations, and now their level remains stable, Genoveva Petrova, Managing Partner at the Alpha Research polling agency, said on Tuesday. Petrova was speaking at a discussion on Donation Through the Eyes of Pollsters and the Media, organized by the Bulgarian Donators Forum. At the event Petrova presented the results of a nationally representative poll on public opinion on donation in Bulgaria, taken by Alpha Research in February 2025 among 1,000 adult Bulgarians.

"We have been studying public opinion on donation, and we are noticing that the past five years, packed with crisis, give a thrust to donation as an activity, Bulgarians have embraced it, and this activity has turned into a sustainable tendency," Petrova added. Studies have shown that in these five and a half years, people declare that they have made a donation of some sort in the respective year.

Slowly, donating has started to turn into a lasting and conscious activity, public organisations and businesses with their various campaigns have substantially contributed to this, Petrova added. This year 48% of respondents state that in 2024 they made a donation of some sort, the biggest part being financial donations, followed by the donation of possessions and goods, as well as labour. The main causes to which people have donated include health causes (68%) and social causes (46%). There is a direct connection between natural disasters and donations, Petrova noted.

The largest part of respondents, 72%, continue donating to those in need directly. Second in importance are the donations made during campaigns organised by businesses. Almost every second respondent has donated in a campaign organised by a company, which is indicative of the role of such campaigns in the formation of the opinion of people for this type of activity. About one quarter respond that they have donated to a public organisation, and not for a cause.

Donating in a box is still most popular, donations sent as short message service are next, and the donation of goods follows. Online donations are growing: the share of those who donated online increases from 11% in 2023 to 26% in 2024.

The amount of funds people spend on donations is growing, Petrova added and said that the largest part of respondents who made a donation, 33%, donated over BGN 100.

The obstacles that get in the way of donating are the lack of information about what the donation will be used for, as well as the difficult financial situation people might be facing. The data from the poll showed that the Donation Management System (DMS) platform continues to be the most recognized donation platform by the respondents, which is why those who donate trust it the most and 48% use it most often.