The holiday season is finally here in the United States, and with it comes the generous spirit of giving. In fact, the last two months of the year are prime time for charitable donations, with more Americans reaching for their wallets to support meaningful causes. A recent survey by CAF America found that 62% of Americans plan to make monetary donations during this holiday season – and 15% say they’ll be giving exclusively during this time.

What makes the holidays such a popular time for giving in the United States? Experts point to everything from year-end tax deadlines, festive holiday bonuses, and the feel-good messaging around the various holidays in November and December. But we wanted to dig deeper into the “why” behind holiday giving, and here’s what we found!

What Inspires Holiday Giving?

To better understand what drives people to donate during November and December, we asked over 1,000 U.S. adults at the end of October if they planned to donate in the coming months and, if so, what their reasoning was for donating at this time of year.

Other reasons that roughly two-thirds of donors said influenced their giving include:

• Setting a good example for others
• Keeping up cherished traditions
• The ease of donating this time of year
• Receiving direct asks from charities they love

Year-Round vs. Holiday-Only Donors:

What’s the Difference?

Not all donors are the same, and their motivations can vary depending on their giving habits: Year-round donors have a clearer idea of why they plan to donate at the end of the year than those who haven’t yet given in 2024, but say they plan to during the holiday season.

Donors who give year-round are generally more motivated by a variety of factors compared to those who only give during the holiday season. For instance, year-round donors are:

• 46% more likely to say they’re motivated to give when directly asked by a charity than end-of-year-only donors.
• 15% more likely to say they donate because they feel fortunate and want to give back.

These differences – or gaps – highlight that year-round donors respond more strongly to direct appeals and have deeper emotional or habitual connections to giving during the holidays. This makes them a particularly valuable group to engage for holiday fundraising efforts. Holiday-only donors, on the other hand, aren’t giving regularly to charity and might need a little extra nudge to get involved!

The Role of Religion in Holiday Giving

The holidays may mean different things to different people, but one thing’s clear: generosity is important to people of all religious backgrounds. While Christmas is often associated with an uptick in charitable giving, our survey found that people of all faiths (and those who aren’t religious) plan to give during this time of year.

The level of religiosity – how important religion is to someone – plays a bigger role in giving behavior than specific religious affiliations. The most religious individuals are more likely to report plans to donate at the end of the year than the least religious (71% vs. 50%).

Religiosity also significantly influences why people choose to give during the holidays. Among highly religious donors, 77% say tradition motivates their holiday giving, compared to 61% of moderately religious donors and 50% of those who place low importance on religion.

Ease and accessibility are also key factors for moderately and highly religious donors, with 70% in both groups citing this as a reason to give, compared to 54% of less religious donors.

How Charities Can Channel the Holiday Spirit

Here are four ways organizations can connect with donors during this special time of year:

1. Highlight the causes people care about the most. Across demographic groups, a strong connection to the cause is the biggest reason people say they plan to donate. Potential donors are more likely to commit if they feel you are working on an issue they find near and dear to their hearts.
2. Reach out to your existing donors to make holiday contributions. People who have already donated in 2024 are particularly likely to donate during the holidays when charities they care about ask them to donate. Year-round givers are especially responsive to direct asks during the holidays – and they tend to give generously!
3. Make holiday donations a special tradition existing donors can partake in each year. Tradition plays a role in many year-end donors’ plans to give, especially those who are highly religious. Help your donors create a special holiday tradition of supporting your cause. It’s a great way to foster long-term relationships.
4. Celebrate all holidays and traditions – don’t exclusively tie your holiday marketing to Christmas. Donors of many different faiths are looking to give this holiday season and you don’t want to ostracize potential donors with exclusive marketing. Remember nearly all donors, regardless of their religion, say they want to give this holiday season because they feel strongly about a particular cause or issue.