Crowdfunding, communities multiply the value of giving

Over 30,000 people crossed the finish line of the Milano Marathon a month ago. A record participation for this sporting event. And even more so for the solidarity race, which surpassed the 2.2 million euro raised (it was 1.4 two years ago). The vast majority of the funds came from personal fundraising by individuals (over one million euros) and companies (788 thousand euros).

A growing phenomenon, that of personal fundraising, in which people make themselves promoters of the collection campaign among friends or colleagues. "On the occasion of major events such as sporting ones, giving grows because so many people are involved and mutual stimulation is created," explains Valeria Vitali, founder of the Fondazione Rete del Dono, which runs the Milano Marathon charity programme. The programme is based on the possibility for runners to support a solidarity project by activating a crowdfunding campaign in support of one of the participating organisations. "People participate and become even more active when the context is a community, be it friends or businesses, with a multiplier effect," adds Vitali.

In Italia, the propensity to donate is stable, with 81% of internet users having made at least one donation in a year, according to the Donare 3.0 survey conducted by Ipsos Doxa in collaboration with PayPal and Fondazione Rete del Dono (to be presented today in Milan). The most popular forms of donation remain solidarity gifts (71%), followed by donations to associations (63%), which return to 2022 levels after a drop in previous years. The share of those who made at least one donation through crowdfunding rose from 13% to 26% from 2014 to 2025. The online collection of resources around structured projects initiated by non-profits, groups of people or individuals is therefore a mature phenomenon, growing slowly but steadily.

"People donate more and participate more in projects to the extent that they are embedded in a community, collective context in which the donor can see a direct, tangible impact of his donation. Crowdfunding gives you back better and more, compared to other modes of donation, this aspect of concreteness because you touch with your own hand where the resources you have donated go. Crowdfunding is not just a fundraising tool, but a tool for community involvement thanks to its project-based nature,' explains Vitali, who raised three million euro with his platform in the first four months of this year.

Confirmation that the culture of giving brings people together can be found in the growing active involvement that goes beyond just economic contributions: in 2025, 37 per cent of Italians participated in voluntary activities, with a higher incidence among younger age groups - specifically Gen Z and Millennials, who together account for 42 per cent.