Edited by the Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology

Internet giving benchmarking analysis

20 March 2009Key findings from the 2008 donorCentrics Internet Giving Benchmarking Analysis include:

* Online giving still represents a relatively small portion of donors and revenue at most organizations, but it is growing rapidly and is becoming an important source for new donor acquisition.

* Online donors are younger and have higher incomes than traditional direct mail donors. These are important constituents that nonprofits very much want to attract and keep, given the older average donor age in many files.

* Online donors give larger gifts and, as a result, have a higher overall long-term value than donors to more traditional giving channels like direct mail, but they are less loyal in terms of repeat giving. Higher average gifts mask the lower retention rates of online donors, which may present an opportunity for improvement at many organizations.

* The online giving channel must be an integrated part of an entire direct marketing program because although offline donors do not generally migrate to online giving, online donors do migrate to offline channels in large numbers. In addition, online donors tend to downgrade when they move offline, further evidence that online donors are not cultivated to their full potential.

Noticeboard

16 February 2010

RMIT University in Melbourne runs a degree program where groups of
communication research‐trained students work on a communication research
project for a not‐for‐profit client.

14 January 2010

The National Prison Book Program provides prisoners with free reading materials. Our aim is to provide books to prisoners and enhance prison library and educational services.

13 January 2010

ACCAN is establishing an Independent Grants Panel (‘the Panel’) to make recommendations about the allocation of Grants. We are calling for Expressions of Interest to join the Panel which has three (3) positions available.