Donor Giving Trends for Today and Tomorrow, Part 4

• Your typical nonprofit now receives about 8 percent of its income online, which is still a relatively small slice of the pie, but growing.
• E-mail is the most powerful “direct” fundraising tool online today by a long shot, bringing in the largest percentage of online donations.
• Search engine marketing is the “unsung hero of online fundraising.” Paid ads and Google grants are raising money for organizations.
• Social media builds brand and excitement, but for the most part donations are still the exception, not the rule. However, in an NTEN study, 27 groups reported receiving more than $100,000 from social media.
• Mobile fundraising in 2011 is all the rage, but “hyperbole and enthusiasm often outrun reality,” as Roger Craver wrote in The Agitator.

That’s what’s happening today, but evidenced by the change in the past six years, the fundraising landscape will be different than it is today six years from now. So you must keep an eye toward what’s next.

Lynch shared what he believes is on the horizon:

• More and more adults and older adults are adopting Facebook. So if grandma is on Facebook, shouldn’t fundraisers be there too? You must look at social media and develop a strategy because that’s where donors are engaging online. There are new tools online all the time that let you target donors like never before, Lynch said. For instance, paid ads on Facebook can be targeted so specifically to drive events and donations with an easy way for donors to share that information.
• Will QR codes sizzle or fizzle?
• Can Groupon promote more than discounts? If you can get 500 $10 donations via Groupon in one day, that’s $5,000 you might not have gotten otherwise.
• Will 2012 be “the year of mobile”? While it may be more hype than substance today, it’s worth looking at again. There is existing potential with mobile since everyone is moving toward smartphones.

Finally, Lynch wrapped up the session by sharing some best practices to get the most out of online fundraising today and tomorrow: