Government and philanthropic organizations increased virtual support and coordination to provide pandemic relief, and diaspora and local communities continued to support the giving environment in South Africa and Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic
Philanthropic organizations in Kenya and South Africa have similar philanthropic environments. In Kenya, a moderate philanthropic environment (at an overall score of 3.50),[1] is largely fueled by strong cultural heritage and informal philanthropic giving, with increased support in recent years from the government and philanthropic alliances to boost the country’s formal philanthropic environment. In South Africa, the modest philanthropic environment (at an overall score of 3.51),[2] is compounded of historic, social, and cultural public engagement, which has promoted philanthropic values, with growing support from the government through legislative measures to support philanthropic organizations and giving.
The global outbreak of COVID-19 has significantly affected the philanthropic landscape in both countries. Findings from the 2022 Global Philanthropy Environment Index (GPEI) show that in both Kenya and South Africa, donations from the public, increased collaboration among donors, and funding and resources leveraged by charitable organizations delivered services to vulnerable communities. At the same time, many philanthropic organizations lost funding support and even collapsed. The 2022 GPEI also found that philanthropic giving and funding support increased in both countries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to provide emergency and essential services.
Now, the latest study: Digital for Good: A Global Study on Emerging Ways of Giving project explores some of the emerging vehicles of philanthropy that have become more prominent in recent years, such as crowdfunding, mobile giving, workplace giving, retail giving, and online volunteering.
The emergence of new giving vehicles in Kenya and South Africa is facilitated by a culture of philanthropy and developments in digital technology
The spirit of philanthropy has always lived in Kenyan civil society in the tradition of ‘Harambee’ which brings people together to support local development. In South Africa, the values and practices of ‘Ubuntu’ ties people together to the larger community and environment through their authenticity and humanity. The advent of the digital economy and network allowed both informal philanthropy and charitable activities through formal philanthropic organizations to evolve in both countries.
In Kenya, crowdfunding and workplace giving have emerged as new forms of philanthropy with a familiar spirit and intention as promoted by Harambee. Researchers at the East Africa Philanthropy Network (EAPN) note that the rise of mobile technology and mobile payment has popularized crowdfunding and solidified it as an alternate form of fundraising source. The decrease in traditional sources of funding due to and during the COVID-19 pandemic also strengthened the use of crowdfunding, along with workplace giving. Workplace giving is a relatively new giving vehicle in Kenya but was a perfect match to meet demands of diversification of funding sources to philanthropic organizations.
In South Africa, emerging giving vehicles such as crowdfunding, retail giving, mobile giving, payroll giving, and virtual volunteering, were propelled into the limelight by the COVID-19 pandemic. The research unit at Charities Aid Foundation Southern Africa highlights how vehicles, such as crowdfunding, recorded greater philanthropic activity due to the needs brought forth by the global pandemic. The increased internet penetration and social media outreach have also strengthened mobile giving, virtual volunteering, and crowdfunding in the country. Retail giving and payroll giving in South Africa also benefitted from technological and social innovation, but the core value of Ubuntu also made new giving platforms more adoptable. Read more