In the summer and fall of 2024, Nonprofit Tech for Good used social media and email to promote the Online Donor Feedback Survey. The results of the 15-question survey provide a glimpse into the communication and giving preferences of online donors. Thank you to those who took the survey!

About the Survey Respondents

  • 641 donors that have made an online donation within the previous 12 months.
  • 69% live in the United States, 13% in Canada, 8% in Europe, 3% in Africa, 3% in Latin America & the Caribbean, 2% in Australia & New Zealand, 1% in Asia, and 1% in the Middle East.
  • 43% are Gen X, 27% are Baby Boomers, 25% are Millennials, 3% are Gen Z, and 2% are Matures.

Communication Preferences

  • 33% of online donors say that email is the communication method most likely to inspire them to make a donation. Social media followed closely at 29%, while a nonprofit’s website came in third at 17%. Next came print mail at 9%, text messaging at 6%, TV ads at 2%, phone calls at 2%, radio ads at 1%, and finally, billboards at 1%.

Donut chart showing communication method preferences: Email (33.4%), Social media (28.6%), Website (17.2%), Print mail (9.4%), others <6%.

  • 57% prefer to be thanked for their online donations via email, making it the most popular method, followed by print letters at 18%, print postcards at 10%, text messages at 6%, social media messages at 5%, and a phone call at 4%.
  • 57% of online donors believe that nonprofits effectively communicate the impact of their donations, while 38% do not. This indicates room for improvement in using online and print communication to share stories of positive impact and improve donor retention.
  • 34% say that Facebook is the social media platform most useful for learning about news and campaigns about their favorite nonprofits, followed by Instagram at 29%, LinkedIn at 22%, X at 5%, YouTube at 4%, TikTok at 3%, and Threads at 1%. Twitch, Pinterest, and Snapchat appear to be ineffective at reaching online donors.

Donut chart showing social media preferences: Facebook (34.2%), Instagram (28.5%), LinkedIn (22.3%), X (5.2%), YouTube (4.2%), others <4%.

  • 52% of online donors would be willing to serve as a social media ambassador for their favorite nonprofits, if asked, and agreed to spend 1-2 hours monthly promoting special awareness and fundraising campaigns.

Online Giving Preferences

  • 39% of online donors prefer to make online donors using a credit card, followed by PayPal at 17%, debit cards at 13%, Apple Pay at 11%, Venmo at 8%, ACH at 6%, and Google Pay at 5%. The three least common methods of making online donations are Amazon Pay at 1% and stock transfers and cryptocurrency at less than 1%. Digital wallets are growing in popularity, so if more nonprofits offered Apple Pay, Venmo, Google Pay, or Amazon Pay, the percentage of donations made via digital wallets would likely increase.

Donut chart showing payment method preferences: Credit card (39.1%), PayPal (16.9%), Debit card (12.6%), Apple Pay (11.1%), Venmo (8.2%), others <6%.

  • 44% of online donors are enrolled in a monthly giving program. Only 7% of those monthly donors plan on canceling their enrollment within the next three months indicating that donors appreciate the ability to automatically give monthly and that nonprofits are communicating effectively with their monthly donors.
  • 46% of online donors have given a tribute gift within the past 12 months. Memorial gifts were the most popular type of tribute gift at 43%, followed by birthday gifts at 26%, religious holidays (Christmas, Hannukah, Eid al-Fitr, Diwali, etc.) at 9%, Mother’s Day / Father’s Day at 6%, weddings at 6%, graduations at 5%, and non-religious holidays (New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, etc.) at 5%. If nonprofits expanded tribute gift options beyond memorial and birthday gifts, other types of tribute gifts would likely grow in popularity.
  • 38% of online donors have donated to a nonprofit through Facebook. Of those, 70% say that they will do so again in the future.
  • 12% of online donors have donated to a nonprofit through Instagram. Of those, 83% say that they will do so again in the future.
  • 36% of online donors have donated to a nonprofit by using a QR Code found on a print material, poster, or billboard.
  • 67% agree that nonprofits should use artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in their marketing, fundraising, and administrative tasks. This shows strong support for AI adoption in nonprofits which can lead to more efficient communications and personalized fundraising.
  • 93% of online donors think nonprofits and charities are ethical and can be trusted.

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Certificate in AI for Marketing & Fundraising from Nonprofit Tech for Good, issued to 'Your Name,' with a Nonprofit Tech for Good seal.