Does Your Input Equal Your Output in Online Fundraising?

New studies seem to be popping up all the time concerning online fundraising, and personally — I love it. We know that online giving is steadily increasing every year and that more and more people are joining the social media revolution. However, with so much to do and a limited amount of time to do it in, are you getting the proper return for the time and energy that is spent concerning fundraising online?

One way to gauge whether your organization is successful garnering funds is to compare your growth with other nonprofits. Fortunately, “M+R Strategic Services, a public relations and communications firm working with leading non-profits, and the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), a membership organization of non-profit professionals who use technology for their causes, will release their sixth annual eNonprofit Benchmarks Study of what is working today in online advocacy, fundraising and social networking,”according to Mashable.com.

The following infographic summarizes interesting results:



The study is based on primary research with 44 participating non-profits which include environmental, international, human rights, wildlife, animal welfare and other causes such as AARP, American Red Cross and the Worldwide Wildlife Fund.

I think what is most beneficial from this survey is the opportunity to measure your nonprofit against what others are doing. What percentage of your donations is through online giving? What is the return on your email asks? What methods of online fundraising have others succeeded at using that is worth a try? The greatest information a survey can provide is around opportunities for betterment.