To give, first get to know: Why India's everyday generosity matters more than ever
Outside a temple in Delhi, a woman drops a few rupees into the bowl of an elderly man sitting near the entrance. A few blocks away, a man adds Rs 50 to his Uber fare after chatting with the driver about his income. In another neighbourhood, a homemaker arranges medicines for her maid’s sick daughter.
Across India, acts like these happen millions of times every day. As illustrated by Ashoka University’s Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy’s Feb 2026 study, ‘How India Gives 2025-26’, Indian households give about $6 bn (Rs 540 bn) every year, measured across cash contributions, in-kind donations and volunteering. However, these gifts are predominantly ad-hoc, incidental and support individuals in need.
India does not lack generosity. The real question is how this everyday giving can be connected to lasting change. Western countries like the US, Britain and the Netherlands are going through a ‘dollars up, donors down’ phenomenon. Total giving is going up because the wealthy are giving more, but the number of everyday people giving is dropping.
India is different. According to ‘How India Gives’, 68% of Indians — nearly 1 bn people — are givers. Because the survey avoided major religious festivals, participation during peak giving seasons is likely higher. Earlier editions of this study captured festive season giving and reported rates approaching 90%.
Giving in India is not limited to affluent households. Even households spending less than `8,000 a month give in some form or another. Moreover, as Indian households move up the consumption ladder, they give a slightly higher percentage of their money away. They become more generous. Economic mobility, in this context, appears to strengthen civic generosity rather than weaken it.
While the West is seeing a narrowing base of support, India’s base is wide and strong. Yet, India’s philanthropic ecosystem differs from the West in one crucial respect. In advanced economies, charitable giving is typically directed toward formal nonprofit institutions, often supported by tax incentives.
In India, only about 15% of everyday household giving reaches nonprofits, 46% going to religious institutions, and the rest going directly to individuals in need that includes destitutes, family and acquaintances.
Why does only a small part of everyday giving go to formal nonprofits? We may be tempted to attribute it to the lack of strong tax incentives. But with less than 7% Indians filing I-T, that alone doesn’t explain the gap. The answer may be simpler: proximity builds trust, and trust drives giving.
In India, everyday giving happens where need and opportunity are visible, and relationships are direct. Temples, mosques and gurudwaras sit within communities. Individuals in need are encountered in everyday life. People give to what they can see, question and verify. In fact, in-person appeals, even for nonprofits, have the highest recall (around 25%), significantly higher than social media campaigns (around 15%).
Over time, this repeated, visible interaction builds trust. And trust, more than tax deductions, drives everyday giving behaviour. Indian giving is shaped by proximity, relationships and trust.
There is a way for nonprofits to bridge this gap. Take the example of Goonj. Instead of asking for money, this organisation collects what people give in the form of old but reusable clothes, household goods and time. They then work with communities to identify a problem, like a broken bridge or a dirty pond. The community works together to fix the problem, and they receive the clothes and goods as payment for their labour.
This model acknowledges community wisdom on what it needs, and involves them in decision-making. It turns aone-time gift into a long-term change.
As India grows, it is building infrastructure. India also needs stronger philanthropic infrastructure on its journey of resilience. Research is the map-making of this journey. To build better roads between individual givers and societal problems, we first need to understand the terrain, who is giving, where the money goes, and why people give the way they do. Without these maps, we are all just driving in the dark. If research acts as the map, then nonprofits can be seen as bridge-builders. Opportunity for the Indian organised social sector is to connect the vast, quiet energy of everyday givers to the complex problems that need solving. This happens most effectively when nonprofits work deeply within communities, not only as providers of services but also as partners in change.
The future of philanthropy in India may not depend only on billionaires or corporate mandates, but also on recognising and strengthening the quiet generosity already woven into everyday life.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
Across India, acts like these happen millions of times every day. As illustrated by Ashoka University’s Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy’s Feb 2026 study, ‘How India Gives 2025-26’, Indian households give about $6 bn (Rs 540 bn) every year, measured across cash contributions, in-kind donations and volunteering. However, these gifts are predominantly ad-hoc, incidental and support individuals in need.
India does not lack generosity. The real question is how this everyday giving can be connected to lasting change. Western countries like the US, Britain and the Netherlands are going through a ‘dollars up, donors down’ phenomenon. Total giving is going up because the wealthy are giving more, but the number of everyday people giving is dropping.
India is different. According to ‘How India Gives’, 68% of Indians — nearly 1 bn people — are givers. Because the survey avoided major religious festivals, participation during peak giving seasons is likely higher. Earlier editions of this study captured festive season giving and reported rates approaching 90%.
Giving in India is not limited to affluent households. Even households spending less than `8,000 a month give in some form or another. Moreover, as Indian households move up the consumption ladder, they give a slightly higher percentage of their money away. They become more generous. Economic mobility, in this context, appears to strengthen civic generosity rather than weaken it.
While the West is seeing a narrowing base of support, India’s base is wide and strong. Yet, India’s philanthropic ecosystem differs from the West in one crucial respect. In advanced economies, charitable giving is typically directed toward formal nonprofit institutions, often supported by tax incentives.
In India, only about 15% of everyday household giving reaches nonprofits, 46% going to religious institutions, and the rest going directly to individuals in need that includes destitutes, family and acquaintances.
Why does only a small part of everyday giving go to formal nonprofits? We may be tempted to attribute it to the lack of strong tax incentives. But with less than 7% Indians filing I-T, that alone doesn’t explain the gap. The answer may be simpler: proximity builds trust, and trust drives giving.
In India, everyday giving happens where need and opportunity are visible, and relationships are direct. Temples, mosques and gurudwaras sit within communities. Individuals in need are encountered in everyday life. People give to what they can see, question and verify. In fact, in-person appeals, even for nonprofits, have the highest recall (around 25%), significantly higher than social media campaigns (around 15%).
Over time, this repeated, visible interaction builds trust. And trust, more than tax deductions, drives everyday giving behaviour. Indian giving is shaped by proximity, relationships and trust.
There is a way for nonprofits to bridge this gap. Take the example of Goonj. Instead of asking for money, this organisation collects what people give in the form of old but reusable clothes, household goods and time. They then work with communities to identify a problem, like a broken bridge or a dirty pond. The community works together to fix the problem, and they receive the clothes and goods as payment for their labour.
This model acknowledges community wisdom on what it needs, and involves them in decision-making. It turns aone-time gift into a long-term change.
As India grows, it is building infrastructure. India also needs stronger philanthropic infrastructure on its journey of resilience. Research is the map-making of this journey. To build better roads between individual givers and societal problems, we first need to understand the terrain, who is giving, where the money goes, and why people give the way they do. Without these maps, we are all just driving in the dark. If research acts as the map, then nonprofits can be seen as bridge-builders. Opportunity for the Indian organised social sector is to connect the vast, quiet energy of everyday givers to the complex problems that need solving. This happens most effectively when nonprofits work deeply within communities, not only as providers of services but also as partners in change.
The future of philanthropy in India may not depend only on billionaires or corporate mandates, but also on recognising and strengthening the quiet generosity already woven into everyday life.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
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