Online fundraising will be a huge part of the conferences I’m attending this week. Just in time, Convio has released the latest update from its Online Marketing Nonprofit Benchmark Index Study. The report analyzes a variety of data (from fundraising to email files to web visits) from approximately 600 Convio clients who have collectively raised more than $1.15 billion in 2010.
Here are a few highlights:
Online fundraising continues to grow. Overall, 79% of organizations included in the report raised more in 2010 than 2009, while 21% saw declines in their online fundraising. All but three verticals (Association & membership, Public Broadcasting Stations, and Team Events) had a growth rate greater than 10%.
Advocacy continues to play an important role. Total number of advocates on file increased by 20%, and 6.4% of advocates on file were also donors, up from 5.9% in 2009.
An increase in gift count and average gift size primarily drove fundraising gains. Of those that grew fundraising in 2010, 88% saw an increase in the number of gifts and the average gift size grew more than $8 in 2010. This indicates more people are moving online to give even if inspired through other channels.
Email files continued to grow strongly. The median total email file grew 22% to 48,700 constituents. The increase in people engaging online means organizations need to ensure their communications and fundraising asks match the channel preferences for their constituents if they hope to maximize the value of each relationship.
Get the full report at www.convio.com/2011benchmark.
