Nonprofit Donation Trends You Need to Know
Your nonprofit works diligently to attract more donors, increase donation frequency and size, and retain those donors…
So when setting fundraising goals, it can be beneficial to know about the donation trends that are relevant to you, so you can feel more confident about the potential for growing your nonprofit’s donor base!
How Much Donating is Done By Individuals?
Approximately 72% of all charitable giving within the U.S. is done by individuals, and ever since 2009 charitable giving has been experiencing a gradual upsurge!
Of the remaining charitable donations being made, 5% are coming from organizations, 8% from bequests, and 15% from foundations.
When are Individuals Most Likely to Donate?
Around 25% or more of all annual giving in the U.S. occurs during the winter holidays – the last three months of the year – with an estimated 43% of higher income donors (from households earning greater than $200,000) donating more during the holidays.
And now with the ever-increasing popularity of #GivingTuesday, an annual Day of Giving that occurs on the first Tuesday following Thanksgiving, we’re seeing even more donations occurring during this time of year.
Where are Individuals Most Likely to Donate?
As far as giving preferences go, a worldwide study for the year 2015 revealed that 72% of millennials, 66% of Gen. X and 54% of baby boomers prefer to make their donations online.
Online donations are expected to continue increasing in the coming years, so if you haven’t invested in a good online fundraising strategy yet, now is the time!
Which States are Most Charitable?
You can see data on donations by state, county and zip code by browsing The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s interactive tool.
It’s estimated that 90% of all donations stay within your own or adjacent zip code! So, as a nonprofit, investing in getting to know your community better can’t hurt.
What is the Trajectory of Donations?
Slowly, but surely, giving is growing. The year 2015 marked the 6th year of increased giving in the U.S., with a 4.1% increase from the $358.38 billion donated to charitable organizations in the year 2014.
It’s estimated that this will only continue to increase in the coming years, with a projected 4.1% increase for 2016 and 4.3% increase for 2017.
Growth of individual giving is projected at a slightly lower rate of 3.7% in 2016 and 3.8% in 2017, but growing nonetheless!
Where Do I Go From Here?
Is increasing your donor base and overall donation size on your nonprofit’s agenda?… Well, you know the donors are out there (and so is their expendable income) – not to mention the contagious “giving bug” that’s been going around . . .
So, how do you go about tapping into this community of givers?
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog where we’ll cover the 4 Essential Steps to Increase Your Nonprofit’s Donor Base!
