The “BNP Paribas Individual Philanthropy Index,” which compared philanthropists in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, found that philanthropists from the Middle East most often march to their own drumbeat and diverge from others in terms of the motivation for their giving, their top causes and how they promote their philanthropy.
The Index is derived from a Forbes Insights survey of 303 individuals with a minimum of $5 million in investable assets.
The Middle Eastern philanthropists are unique in the following ways:
* They are most likely to be motivated by religion. Almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents from the Middle East say they are motivated by religion. In Europe the most popular answers are family legacy and a sense of duty, both at 17%. In Asia the most popular motivation is the desire to give back to society (25%).
* Philanthropists from the Middle East focus on different causes. Sixty-five percent of respondents from the Middle East say that their main cause is to effect social change. Meanwhile, the top cause in both Europe and Asia is health.
* They are the most low-key about their giving, with 60% of Middle Eastern philanthropists saying that they insist on anonymity. In Europe, 38% of philanthropists insist on staying anonymous. A plurality of Asian philanthropists (45%) say that they do not hide their involvement in charity.
* Philanthropists from the Middle East are the least likely to use social media to advance their causes. Fifty-seven percent of them say that they never use social media to advance their cause. In comparison, 49% of European philanthropists say that they regularly use social media to advance their causes, and 48% of Asian philanthropists say they do so occasionally.