Do You Really Need a Donor Database?

Now it is apparent that we are seeing a shift in donor behavior. Whether or not we have reached the tipping point is not clear, but whatever the reasons, we saw an increase in online giving of 20 percent in 2011, compared to 2010 (M+R / NTEN survey). In the U.S. in 2001, only 4 percent of people had given online, but in 2011 that figure was 65 percent (Network for Good Evolution of the Online Donor). Maybe today’s older donors are more Web-savvy than they used to be — 47 percent of JustGiving’s donations came from donors age 41 and over. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t intend to give up using the Internet when I get older. I can’t think of a more convenient way to give. In some parts of the world it may not be possible to give by check. In Europe there’s a debate about when, not if, to phase out checks (or cheques) altogether.