2015 BNP Paribas Individual Philanthropy Index reveals that Philanthropy is growing worldwide,increasing by 5 points on average in 2015. Out of the four regions, Europe is now almost level with the USA, with a strong increase in current and projected giving.

Trends emerging in the third edition of the index show that “Impact/mission investing” is seen as the most promising trend by most philanthropists (52% each) worldwide. Meanwhile, Collaborative philanthropy (at 51%) follows as a main trend, allowing the sharing of best practice and the building of an effective common strategy or funding.

The index reveals that philanthropists are embracing technology. The top uses of technology in philanthropy are currently promotion via social media (42%), crowd evaluation (42%) andcrowdfunding/online fundraising platforms (41%).

A majority of respondents (67%) believe that advisors are necessary to most effectively navigate the giving sector. After family (51%), philanthropy advisors/agencies (39%) and external experts in the area of focus (37%) are the most often consulted resources for help with giving.

Health is the most popular cause in all four regions, with environment rather surprisingly coming in second everywhere but the Middle East, where education comes second followed by religion in third place. When it comes to motivations for giving, sense of duty and desire to give back to society come top overall, but religious faith is the strongest motivation for giving in the Middle East. The accompanying emphasis on anonymity may well partly account for the lower score in the Middle East.

The Individual Philanthropy Index measures and reflects the commitment of philanthropists in four regions – Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the United States. The Index is derived from a survey of some 400 high net worth individuals in the four regions, each with investable assets valued at $5 million or more, and was conducted by Forbes Insights in 2014, between October and December. 2015 is the third edition of the BNP Paribas Individual Philanthropy Index.

The 2015 Index is attached