Increased levels of giving prompted by the pandemic in 2020 seem to be continuing this year, according to Fidelity Charitable.

Overall, donors gave more last year than they had in the past and 93% of givers said they will give the same or even more this year, according to a survey by Fidelity Charitable released today.

“Pandemic-related influences [on charitable giving] seem here to stay,” Fidelity Charitable said. The survey included 701 adults who gave at least $1,000 to charity in 2020.

Twenty-two percent of givers said they increased donations because of Covid; 10% said it was because of social justice issues; and 23% said both issues caused them to increase giving, according to the survey.

“A year and a half into the pandemic, donors are continuing to display inspiring generosity,” Kristen Robinson, chief operating officer of Fidelity Charitable, said in a statement. “One-third said the events of last year will have a long-term influence on their behaviors, including the amount they give to charity and the causes they support. We hope these trends continue, as so many nonprofits are still attempting to recover.”

Fidelity Charitable also noted that new areas of interest have moved to the top of donors’ giving lists. “Donors said they are more aware of issues related to cures for diseases, local community needs and hunger” than they were in the past, the survey said. Thirty percent said they will give more to each of these issues in 2021 than they did the previous year.

Donors also are finding other ways to have a positive impact on the community. Twenty-nine percent said they will purchase more products from socially responsible businesses this year. Twenty-eight percent said they will make more donations online, and the same percentage said they will give more money directly to individuals, family or friends.

In addition, 35% of donors plan to spend more time volunteering, although many said they will continue to do so virtually, a trend that emerged last year. Before the pandemic, only 17% of donors volunteered virtually, but that percentage rose to 30% in 2020. One-third of donors said they plan to do part or all of their volunteer activities virtually now and in the future.