Update On Online Giving
In partnership with Network for Good, the Chronicle of Philanthropy provides a ‘data dashboard’ updated monthly that reports trends in online giving.
The dashboard looks only at flows through the Network for Good platform, but that’s nearly two million donations over a rolling year to 31,295 nonprofits. So, not a bad picture of what’s happening online in the US.
Here are some factoids from the most recent dashboard:
In the last 12 months (updated 6 June), 1,072,329 online donors gave $217,148,597. So that’s the report universe.
On December 31st, 52,495 donors gave $13,386,995 … just over 6% of all giving in the period. Thank you internet! Interestingly, the number of donations is more evenly spread through the year than the amount is.
About 95% of donors gave less than five times over the year. Think about what that means when donors are barraged with dozens of e-appeals per year. Is that making them happy? Only 28,214 donors gave 10 or more times over the course of the year.
Think about that the next time Roger writes on ‘less is better’! [Insert ‘Raise more ask less’ in The Agitator’s search function.]
There are numerous cuts at the data available on the dashboard. If you’re in the online fundraising biz, check it out.
Tom
4 responses to “Update On Online Giving”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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ALWAYS MY BIG QUESTION:
— Paid online but responding to print direct mail or personal face-to-face solicitation meeting (not street fr)
— Responding to an online solicitation actually initiated by the NGO.
— Wandering the internet and tripped over your great website and was so intrigued by the magnificent website that the tripping person hit DONATE!
I have the same questions as Simone + who is giving online generationally?
Secondly, you recently posted that 84% of new donors came via direct mail, so is this online giving mostly renewal gifts?
I notice healthcare is #3, which is intriguing, as this sector is one of the most difficult in navigating through multiple pages to find the giving page.
Simone: several years ago, one organization I worked with was able to backtrack a portion of its online donors to the original communications channel. They found that, for this segment, $225K in online gifts could be attributed to a direct mail appeal. Definitely food for thought!
Interesting: “About 95% of donors gave less than five times over the year.” –
And just think about the potential for monthly giving – if some of these donors converted to giving MORE than 5 times a year.
Right, Erica Waasdorp?