Even when the world feels overwhelming, change is possible.

It’s a familiar feeling.

The headlines are heavy. Economic signals are mixed. Confidence, at times, feels fragile.

For organisations working in the for-purpose sector, the question naturally follows:

What happens to philanthropy in times like these?

Do people give less?

Do campaigns stall? Do donors step back?

The answer – both in research and in practice – is more nuanced.

And, perhaps, more reassuring.

Giving doesn’t disappear. It shifts.

Data from the JBWere Charitable Giving Index, tracked over more than two decades, tells a consistent story.

During periods of economic downturn – including the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic – overall giving patterns change, but they do not collapse.

• Household giving often declines under cost-of-living pressure

• Corporate giving may fluctuate with profitability

• But structured philanthropy – particularly major gifts – remains resilient

In some cases, it strengthens.

At the same time, Australia is entering one of the most significant intergenerational wealth transfers in its history, with an estimated $150 billion expected to change hands this year alone.

The long-term trajectory is not contraction.

It is growth.

Why generosity endures

Research explains part of the story.

But lived experience explains the rest.

People do not give simply because markets are strong.

They give because they care.

Because they have experienced something.

Because they want to change something.

Because they believe something better is possible.

That motivation doesn’t disappear in uncertain times.If anything, it becomes clearer.

We see this consistently in our work at DGB

Even in recent months – against a backdrop of global uncertainty – significant commitments have continued to be made:

• $1 million supporting mental health

• $3 million directed toward the arts

• $5 million indicated for First Nations initiatives

• Major contributions to homelessness and community wellbeing

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These are not anomalies.

They are signals.

The real risk isn’t the economy

For organisations, the greater risk is not that philanthropy disappears.

It’s that they step back at the very moment engagement matters most.

Evidence – and experience – tell us there is little benefit in reducing donor conversations and stewardship in times of uncertainty.

Because while some donors may pause, they return.

And when they do, they return to the organisations that stayed present.

What this moment requires

Periods like this do not call for retreat.

They call for clarity.

Clarity about:

• purpose

• impact

• and the role philanthropy can play in what comes next

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The organisations that continue to invest in relationships – thoughtfully, consistently, and with intent – are the ones that emerge stronger.

Not because conditions were easy.

But because they stayed engaged when it mattered.

A steady truth

The world will always move through cycles – economic, political, social.

But one thing remains remarkably consistent:

And the desire to create change – to improve outcomes, to support others, to leave something better behind – does not disappear when conditions shift.

It endures.

Even when the world feels overwhelming.