Three-Year Donor Trends?

Patrick Hansen

I just got a great question by email from Mark Mitchell at the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank:

e-communications system like yours?  We can pull a percentage out of the air and apply it, but if you have any statistics from your client histories that you can share, it would be greatly appreciated.

It just so happens that I've been doing some analysis of Go! clients in their first two years on the Convio platform.  The numbers in terms of online fundraising growth are fairly staggering.  Here's how it breaks down:

Median Year 1 Growth in Dollars Raised Online (N=8):  94%

Median Year 2 Growth in Dollars Raised Online (N=21): 45%

A couple things to know as you consider these metrics:

1. The year 1 growth is based on data provided in client start-up forms as they enter the Go! program.  The sample size is small (N=8) because not all clients report this data and, even when they do, it is often incomplete.
2. The year 2 growth is based on actual benchmark data pulled directly from Convio online fundraising metrics.  That's why the same is much larger (N=21).
3. If you're already raising 5-10% (or more) of your total direct response funds via the online channel, then you're likely to grow more slowly than these numbers would suggest.  If you're raising much less than 5-10% of your total direct response funds online, then you're likely to hit or exceed these growth metrics if you follow the best practices built into the Go! program.
4. I don't have year 3 data that's specific to Go! clients, but I can say that across the board we're seeing online fundraising grow ~15% year-over-year for Convio clients right now despite the weak economy.  This growth is not even across the non-profit industry.  Food banks are generally doing better than this benchmark because hunger and hunger-related issues come more to the forefront as a cause that needs support when unemployment is high.  Convio will be publishing an updated benchmarking index study within the next couple months - this will have the latest fundraising growth numbers by sector for all the non-profits we serve and will be a good reference point for your year 3 growth metrics.
5. Last, but not least, I'm providing metrics that are percent growth statistics in total dollars raised online, not number of donors.  The difference is subtle, but significant as you translate these benchmarks into projections for your organization.

Please don't hesitate to post follow-up questions if I can provide any other helpful details!

-patrick