Fundraising Trends in 2012

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Convio recently released its key trends seen for fundraising in 2012. They include:

1. Online giving and social media channels are becoming even more important. The Convio holiday giving survey for 2010 indicated online giving was up 40 percent over the previous year. This includes more people than ever accessing your online information from a smart phone.

What are you doing to expand your nonprofit's mobile, social media and online giving presence?

2. Donors are gathering more referral info from loved and respected ones in making giving decisions. 

How can you tap into and support your most loyal supporters as they share your story?

3. Information overload is on the rise.

How are you differentiating your message and making it relevant to your donors?

4. There is a higher expectation of user control.

What options for communication are you giving your supporters (go paperless, sign up for certain email frequency, etc.)?

5. Coordinated and targeted communications are becoming the baseline expectation.

How are you both customizing communications for each audience yet reinforcing key messages?

Share your thoughts on the Conivo study in the comments below. For more information, visit Conivo: http://www.convio.com/.

A Nice Fundraising Outlook

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With so much focus since 2008 on the recession, it's great when nice economic and fundraising news comes along. 

When people have fewer resource, there are, of course, less options for immediate term giving to their favorite causes. Sighns are starting to emerge of a nice outlook. 

On March 15, Blackbaud released their Index of Charitable Giving. The report indicates that from January to November of 2011, overall giving was up 3.4% over the same time frame in 2010. This puts giving above levels seen in 2007.

The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving studied $2.5 billion in donations received by 1,281 nonprofit organizations to determine this trend.

The report also indicated that during 2011, smaller nonprofit organizations (less than $1 million in revenue as Blackbaud defines it)  saw a 2.5% decrease in their revenue. During 2011, larger nonprofit organizations saw their giving revenue increase 8.2 percent.

I wonder if this might be because smaller organizations are still a little more hesitant to ask more? 

Given that overall giving has returned to pre-recession levels, what are your plans to ask more in 2012?  Have you prepared an effective case for support that clearly outlines the value of investing in your organization?

FlashPoint offers case statement development services. Contact us to start work on your compelling case statement today.