Fundraising Trends, Plans and Predictions

Three new reports have been published which show current trends, plans and predictions in the non-profit sector.

Charity Direct Debit Tracking Report 2010

http://www.rapidataservices.com/news/trackingreport2010

This report, published in the UK by Rapidata, shows that ongoing direct debit donations to 117 charities increased by 18% in 2009, while the cancellation rate is down by 3%. The average ongoing direct debit donation was £12 per month (or £144 per year.).

The report also provides statistics on the number of failed direct debit donations and the failed reason, and shows that donors tend to cancel their direct debit at the bank, rather than with the charity (mostly due to the way UK banks handle direct debit mandates).


Fundraising Predictions

http://www.blackbaud.com/default.aspx?pgpId=2531&PRID=349

Blackbaud's news release states many obvious fundraising trends, such as the shift from Baby Boomers to Gen-X and Gen-Y donors, and the importance of social media and relationship fundraising.

Worth reading the article to see if there is anything you didn't already know.


Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report

http://www.nonprofitsocialnetworksurvey.com/

According to this report, up to 50% of American non-profits plan to increase the amount of staff time spent supporting social networking sites.

Most organisations report they currently have 1/4 to 1/2 of a full-time equivalent (FTE) staff member dedicated to supporting Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube content, with a significant drop in MySpace usage.

Unfortunately, they require you to register to receive the report, including a US zipcode, but a clever Australian fundraiser can pick a random zipcode that will work - like any number between 90001 to 90899  for Los Angeles.