Online Giving Is Emerging Non-Profit Growth Engine

Online fundraising emerged as a bright spot in the otherwise lackluster non-profit fundraising climate last year, according to Blackbaud's 2012 "Charitable Giving Report." Blackbaud Senior Digital Marketer Frank Barry recently blogged about key online-giving findings that should inspire non-profits to focus on expanding  their online fundraising efforts. First, online giving is a fundraising growth engine, climbing 10.7% in 2012 compared with just 1.7% for overall fundraising year-over-year. Second, every non-profit sector (with the possible exception of faith-based appeals) saw online giving growth. Plus, data shows online donors are younger and have higher lifetime value -- especially if a multi-channel retention approach moves donors from online to offline giving channels. Barry adds an important caveat to this paean to online giving, however. Before rushing to focus on online to the neglect of traditional channels, note that traditional fundraising channels -- direct mail, events, major gifts, etc. -- still accounted for 93% of donations last year. For the full blog post, go to http://www.npengage.com/online-fundraising/4-fascinating-facts-about-online-fundraising/