Now into the second quarter of 2017, three themes are taking shape that the nonprofit sector should be aware of. First, online fundraising revenue is growing worldwide and it will continue to increase for years to come. The arc of success for digital fundraising has just begun.
Second, the popularity of social networking is steady and continues to spread globally, but messaging apps such as WhatsApp, LINE, and Snapchat are emerging as powerful digital communities.
Third, the declined use of cash worldwide for purchasing goods and services is continuing and soon new payment systems will become mainstream for making charitable donations. In Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East mobile payment systems through messaging apps are on the rise and worldwide digital wallets are gaining users. That said, below are 12 stats to consider and research further about online fundraising, social media, and mobile technology.
1. Online donations accounted for 7.2% of all revenue raised in 2016.
Source: 2016 Charitable Giving Report
2. In 2010, only 6% of donors said that an e-appeal motivated a gift. In 2015, that jumped to 20%. In 2016, the number was 28%, which is a 40% jump from 2015.
Source: Dunham+Company
3. Sustainer income from monthly donors grew 10% in 2016.
Source: 2016 Luminate Online Benchmark Report
4. High-wealth donors ($200,000+ in annual household income) give an average of $2,252 annually and 51% prefer to give online.
Source: 2016 Donor Loyalty Study
5. 32% of NGOs worldwide have a written social media strategy and 34% have paid for advertising on social media.
Source: 2017 Global NGO Online Technology Report
6. For Every 1,000 email subscribers, nonprofits have 428 Facebook followers, 141 Twitter followers, and 39 Instagram followers.
Source: 2017 Benchmarks Study
7. 21% of peer-to-peer fundraising dollars raised are the result of a direct click-through on social media.
Source: State of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising 2017
8. 46% of Americans say they check their smartphones as soon as they wake up, while they’re still in bed. Email and social media are the first apps opened.
Source: ReportLinker
9. 28% of smartphone users worldwide have used a mobile payment service (such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, WeChat Pay).
Source: GlobalWebIndex
10. 67% of NGOs worldwide accept online donations, but only 6% accept digital wallet/mobile payments.
Source: 2017 Global NGO Online Technology Report
11. 58% of WhatsApp users use the app more than once daily making it the most engaged digital community in the world.
Source: GlobalWebIndex
12. Only 3% of charities rate their board and executive leadership as being digitally savvy. Consequently, 66% of charities are worried that they will miss out on opportunities for digital fundraising.
Source: 2017 Charity Digital Skills Report
Based upon the survey results of 4,908 NGOs worldwide, the 2017 Global NGO Online Technology Report is groundbreaking in that it is the only annual research project dedicated to studying how NGOs use online technology on a global scale.
