Online Giving Day Statistics Copyright 2014 Copyright 2013
Online giving days are growing in popularity and often lead to significant increases in new donor acquisition and overall fundraising. That said, most higher ed institutions have yet to conduct a giving day. Have you conducted an online giving day fundraising campaign in the past 3 years? 58% 42% Yes No Copyright 2014
However, roughly half of those who have done one giving day, have gone on to do another giving day. Have you conducted more than one online giving day fundraising campaign in the past 3 years? 53% 47% Yes No Copyright 2014
In higher ed especially, the approach of building a stand-alone giving day event seems to work well. Was your latest online giving day a standalone event or part of a larger, regional or national giving day such as #GivingTuesday? 24% 76% Standalone Part of a larger giving day event Copyright 2014
Nearly of quarter of those institutions who conducted a giving raised more than $1 million nearly half raised more than $100,000. 6% What dollar amount did you raise during your latest giving day campaign? 23% 18% 53% Less than $100,000 $100,000 to $499,000 $500,000 to $1 Million $1 million+ Copyright 2014
There was a wide range of donor participation, but more than a quarter had at least 1,000 donors make a gift during their giving day. How many donors made online gifts during your latest giving day campaign? 18% 12% 6% 23% 23% 18% Less than 100 1 to 499 500 to 999 1,000 to 1,999 2,000 to 4,999 More than 5,000 Copyright 2014
Online giving days continue to be a strong avenue for acquiring new donors. However, from previous studies, we know the numbers are stronger when institutions leverage robust online ambassador programs for giving days. What percentage of the donors who made a gift during your latest giving day campaign were new donors to your institution? 6% 38% 0% 6% 6% 25% 19% Less than 10% 10% to 19% 20% to 29% 30% to 39% 40% to 49% More than 50% Unknown Copyright 2014
Contrary to popular belief, giving days attract donors at every age level, not just young donors. What percentage of donors who made a gift during your latest online giving day campaign were young alumni? (Recent grads who left school in the last 5 years): 6% 12% 19% 13% 0% 13% 37% Less than 10% 10% to 19% 20% to 29% 30% to 39% 40% to 49% More than 50% Unknown Copyright 2014
Did you exceed your stated goals in fundraising dollars during your latest giving day? Online Giving Days 37% 44% Yes No Online giving days when planned well including technology, strategy, and major donors almost always exceed expectations. 19% N/A Did you exceed your stated goals in donor participation during your latest giving day? 44% 31% Yes No N/A 25% Copyright 2014
Online giving days often help development departments exceed annual fund and overall fundraising goals. 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% What impact did your latest giving day have on your overall fundraising goals? (Select all that apply) Helped us meet our participation goal. Helped us exceed our participation goal. Helped us meet our dollar goal. Helped us exceed our dollar goal. Did not have an impact on our goals. Copyright 2014
24-hour giving days are, by far, the most popular duration. What was the duration of your latest online giving day campaign? 7% 13% 0% 0% 7% 7% 66% 12 hours or less 24 hours 36 hours 48 hours 72 hours One week One month Copyright 2014
Participation is a wise metric for determining giving day success especially during first-time efforts. 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Number of donors. Which of the following were goals of your latest giving day campaign? (Select all that apply) Number of new donors. Student participation. Alumni participation. A specific dollar amount. Engage new or current major gift donors. Achieve Communicate annual giving the impact of goals. and need for philanthropy to a wider audience. Copyright 2014
At a minimum, BWF_social recommends 6 months for planning an online giving day. How long prior to your latest online giving day did you start planning the effort? 13% 46% 7% 7% 27% 1 month 2 months 3 6 months 6 12 months 12+ months. Copyright 2014
Most giving days were conducted on platforms built by the institutions. However, some of the largest giving days have been conducted on outside platforms. Did you use an outside platform for your latest online giving day campaign or was in built in-house? 80% 20% Outside platform Built in-house Copyright 2014
Most institutions reported working with online ambassadors to promote their giving days. Did you leverage online ambassadors or other volunteers to promote or assist with your latest online giving day campaign? 20% 80% Yes No Copyright 2014
The number of ambassadors varied widely with most institutions either working with fewer than 10 ambassadors or more than 100. How many online ambassadors did you work with during your latest giving day campaign? 17% 25% 8% 50% Less than 10 10 to 19 20 to 29 (no responses) 30 to 39 (no responses) 40 to 49 (no responses) 50 to 99 100 to 200 More than 200 (no responses) Copyright 2014
Training programs for ambassadors often determine the success of a giving day. Half of those respondents that used ambassadors, provided training. Did you provide a training or orientation program for your online ambassadors? 50% 50% Yes No Copyright 2014
For every responding institution, giving day planning resided in the annual fund. Which department led the planning for your latest giving day campaign? Annual Giving 100% Copyright 2014
A wide range of staff were dedicated to planning a giving day, with just as many institutions dedicating less than one FTE as those that dedicated more than 3 FTEs to the effort. 7% How many internal staff resources did you devote to planning your giving day campaign? 27% 40% 26% 0% 0% 50% FTE 51% 99% FTE (no responses) 1 2 FTE 2.1% 3 FTE More than 3 FTE Copyright 2014
On-campus events help reinforce the sense of event around giving days. Did you have on-campus events to correlate with your latest online giving day? 60% 40% Yes No Copyright 2014
The phone and mail programs can be of enormous help even during online events. 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% What other tools, in addition to online and social media, did you employ before, during, or after your latest giving day campaign? (Select all that apply) Direct mail The phone program Live events Copyright 2014
45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Spring appears to be the most popular time of year for hosting a giving day. When did you host your latest online giving day campaign? (Select all that apply) Winter Spring Summer Fall On #GivingTuesday During a regional giving day Around an event specific to your alumni/campus Copyright 2014
Despite the massive fundraising and donor engagement potential of giving days, most institutions dedicate few resources to the effort. What was your total budget for planning, implementing, and analyzing your latest giving day campaign? This includes any outside counsel, vendors, platforms, etc. 20% 7% 73% Less than $10,000 $10,000 to $24,999 $25,000 to $49,999 (no responses) $50,000 to $99,999 (no responses) $100,000 to $250,000 (no responses) Greater than $250,000 Copyright 2014
While fewer than half the institutions have conducted a giving day, the large majority are planning one within the next year. Are you planning an online giving day fundraising campaign in the next 12 months? 35% 65% Yes No 132369:JJW:jub Copyright 2014