I’d like to pull together strands from two recent Agitator posts.

Spectators or Fans dealt with the challenge of moving individuals a nonprofit might engage from being relatively passive observers to becoming active advocates.

Then we reported on two extremely helpful online fundraising reports from Convio and Blackbaud respectively.

In response to our post on Blackbaud, one reader (“Chicago”) asked:

“This data leads me to question the type of donations that are being received online. Are they in response to Direct Mail or online appeals or are they tied to fundraising initiatives such as walks and runs? As people become more comfortable with online security we are seeing an increase in online donations too, but they are for our endurance training program and run/walk where people are giving to people they know not because of our organization. Is there any data out there to show if online giving has increased as a result of basic fundraising appeals from the organization?”

The key for me in this: Are many online givers (especially “event” givers) responding primarily as “friends and family,” as opposed to being genuinely interested in the cause or charity? And if that is the case, what is the durability of such donors … indeed, should you call them that?

Also commenting was Convio’s Vinay Bhagat. He says Convio’s online donor research indicates a 50/50 breakdown between “friends and family” and “genuine interest.”

If that’s the case, fundraisers face a challenging conundrum.

On the one hand, online tools simplify the organizational task of getting existing donors to become missionaries and fundraisers for you … and facilitates them doing so. Agitator readers know Roger and I are huge proponents of that.

But at the same time, your missionaries are responded to for mixed reasons. And, whatever the reason, the new givers they attract are — at least initially — two “degrees of separation” away from your organization.

The challenge is make a direct connection, and change what might begin as a friendly gesture (from a spectator) into a meaningful relationship (with a fan).

One indication of how well you are doing this would be the renewal rate for your missionary-acquired donors, as compared to “direct” acquisitions.

Tom