Research Round Up for October 2012

Here is a look back at some new nonprofit sector research that was released in October 2012.

Blackbaud Index: The Blackbaud Index released findings for the three months ending August 2012 compared to a year ago. The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving was down 3.4% compared to a year ago based on total giving trends of 2,878 nonprofit organizations representing $8.4 billion in yearly giving. The Blackbaud Index of Online Giving was up 2.4% based on online giving trends more than 1,978 nonprofit organizations representing $406.5 million in yearly online giving.

State of the Nonprofit Industry Report: The 2012 edition of the SONI reportcontains survey responses from 1,500 nonprofits across nine countries. The report looks at trends around staff recruiting, fundraising, online giving, recruiting new donors, and mobile technologies. Social media, scheduled meetings with donors and peer-to-peer fundraising are some of the fastest growing methods in all countries. Check out Dennis McCarthy’s article about “Key Findings from 2012 State of the Nonprofit Industry Report” to learn more.

Fundraising Effectiveness Project: The 2012 FEP reportsummarizes data from 3,184 survey respondents received as of February 2012, covering year-to-year fundraising results for 2010-2012. The report found that the largest growth in gift dollars/donors came from new gifts/donors, and the pattern was most pronounced in the organizations with the highest growth-in-giving ratios. Organizations raising $500,000 or more had an average 10% net gain while nonprofits under $100,000 had an average net lost of 9.6%.

High Net Worth Philanthropy: The 2012 Bank of America Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy examines the giving patterns and priorities of America’s wealthiest households, and was once again written and researched in partnership with the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The majority of wealthy donors gives strategically and has a plan for their giving – with 71% having had a specific strategy in place to guide their charitable giving last year, and 61% having had a budget set aside for their philanthropic activities.

Social Media and Political Engagement Report: The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project released its latest report on Social Media and Political Engagement. The report comes from a nationally representative survey of 2,253 adults ages 18 and older that was conducted between July 16 and August 7, 2012. The report found that 39% of all American adults have done at least one of eight civic or political activities with social media.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steve MacLaughlin

Steve MacLaughlin is the Vice President of Data & Analytics at Blackbaud and bestselling author of Data Driven Nonprofits.

MacLaughlin has been featured as a fundraising and nonprofit expert in many mainstream publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, USA Today, The NonProfit Times, Bloomberg, and has appeared on NPR.

He is a frequent speaker at events including the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), American Marketing Association (AMA), Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association (DMFA), Giving Institute Summer Symposium, National Association of Independent School (NAIS), Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), Institute of Fundraising National Convention, Civil Society Conference, Resource Alliance’s Fundraising Online, and a keynote speaker at such events as the Crescendo Practical Planned Giving Conference.

Steve serves on the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) Board of Directors and supports its focus on both the growth and professionalism of the nonprofit technology field as well as building knowledge and information sharing capacity throughout the sector.

He is a frequent blogger, published author of a chapter in the book People to People Fundraising: Social Networking and Web 2.0 for Charities, and is a co-editor of the book Internet Management for Nonprofits: Strategies, Tools & Trade Secrets. His latest book, Data Driven Nonprofits, became a bestseller in 2016.

Steve earned both his undergraduate degree and a Master of Science degree in Interactive Media from Indiana University.