What drives high earners to be generous with their finances?

One goal of Barna’s State of Generosity series—created in partnership with Gloo and multiple sponsor organizations—is to better understand adults who have great potential for charitable financial giving. As a season of year-end giving approaches, this article sheds light on key themes and motivations found among this benevolent group.

Let’s first offer a general overview of these generous individuals. For this study’s focus on high-capacity givers, Barna looked at U.S. adults whose annual income is $300,000 or more. The Barna team surveyed 79 respondents who fell into this category. Respondents were surveyed in 2022 and were asked to reflect on their giving practices in 2021. This group should not be considered representative. Overall, the sample leans Christian and tends to be older than the general population.

As nearly all high-capacity givers report making annual charitable donations to nonprofit organizations, the survey findings highlight notable patterns among an influential minority in the giving landscape.

1. High-Capacity Givers Are Aware of Their Influence Whether through the wisdom that comes with age, their Christian faith or other factors, high-capacity givers feel a sense of responsibility for their wealth and want to steward their abundance well. This group is interested in using their influence to help address local and global needs.