By Siddhi Jain

New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANSlife): The pandemic has changed almost everything, including Indias giving behaviour, findings from a new survey reveal just as Daan Utsav, the countrys largest giving festival starts Friday, October 2.

Individual philanthropy has increased and is likely to stay that way, the survey conducted by Bengaluru-based giving platform GiveIndia shows. As Covid-19 continues to disrupt lives and economies, GiveIndia says that it undertook this study to understand if there has been a shift in donor psyche, targeting individuals in metros and smaller towns.

With close to 450 respondents, data reveals that India's appetite for giving has radically increased during the pandemic. About 85 per cent of respondents plan to increase their giving, with 74 per cent more inclined to contribute to local communities. Under 12 per cent said they would reduce their donations in these difficult times. This upward trend in everyday giving is good news for the thousands who participate in Daan Utsav (week of giving) each year - from individuals and nonprofits to corporates and educational institutions.

GiveIndia has also marked he festival as a turning point in its 20-year history in fundraising by waiving its platform fee - and making it free forever.

With the new zero percent fee, its 100 Heroes fundraising carnival, where 100 top NGOs will be rewarded by matching donations, will enable more funds to be raised and create greater impact. The event starts on October 2, to mark the beginning of DaanUtsav and ends on November 20 after Diwali.

According to GiveIndia President E.R. Ashok Kumar, undertaking a survey ahead of the giving festival to understand was timely to understand how the pandemic has affected India's giving quotient. He added that they are humbled to see that India's appetite for giving has radically increased, and urged people to come forward and donate generously to celebrate Daan Utsav.