Giving Up for 2011; Nonprofit Personality Still Pays Off Online

Today my colleague Kate Olsen guest posts again.  She publishes the Digital Giving Index for my organization, Companies for Good, where she posts thoughtful reflections on cause marketing.  Here are her insights on what the index results mean for nonprofits.

Earlier this year, I asked readers of this blog the following question: Did you know that nonprofits with a branded donation page – a page that shows off the organization’s personality and makes giving tangible for donors – can see up to 5x more in donation dollars than a nonprofit with a generic donate page?  Guess what? Not only is the 5x factor consistent quarter after quarter, but it can creep up to 6x or 7x during peak fundraising season at the end of the year.  That’s a pretty powerful endorsement of the branded donation experience!

Note: A branded donation page looks and feels like the nonprofit’s own website, even if it is hosted by a third party.  The page has messaging, imaging and an aesthetic that is familiar to the donor and conveys the organization’s personality and mission.  A generic donation page looks and feels like the transaction provider’s website, not the nonprofit’s.  Other than the nonprofit name and address, there is nothing to reinforce the donor’s connection to the organization. 

You can find more insights on giving in the 2011 (and Q4) update to The Network for Good Digital Giving Index.  This Index builds on data and observations from the Online Giving Study (a must-read for all nonprofit fundraisers!) and includes trends and analysis on $138 million in donations to more than 40,000 charities through the Network for Good platform in 2011.  This includes donations to Network for Good’s nonprofit customers through their own websites and donations to other nonprofits through 25 corporate partner websites and Network for Good’s giving portals at NetworkforGood.org and SixDegrees.org. 

Index highlights include:

• Most charitable giving through the Network for Good platform is via charity websites, followed by portals and social networks.
• Charity websites with a branded donation page received more donations (5x more!) and at higher average values than those with a generic donation page.
• Portal giving played an important role during the Japan tsunami response and at the end of the year when donors looked for a convenient way to support one or more charities in one place.
• In 2011, social giving made up 15% of all donations through Network for Good, up from 10% in 2009 and virtually 0% prior to 2008.

The full Index and accompanying data are available at our study website.  You can grab our charts, share our data and discuss the results!

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