Donor Demographics

Ethnicity plays a role in how people perceive charitable and political causes they encounter on social networks and whether they go on to get involved with those causes, a new survey finds.

Out of 2,000 participants in the survey, 30 percent of black adults and 39 percent of Hispanics said they were more likely to support online causes rather than causes they encountered offline; 24 percent of whites said the same. The study was released by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and Ogilvy PR, a public-relations company.

Different donor segments respond in different ways to different approaches. Successful fundraisers know that nuances in messaging can mean the difference between a gift and a gaffe.

MINDset Direct’s Karin Kirchoff talks about how fundraisers can best communicate with the newest donors: millennials.

Women are more passionate than men about getting involved in nonprofit causes and paying attention to them through social-media sites, while men tend to view supporting causes through social media as a fad, according to a study released last week.

The study, which analyzed responses to an online survey completed by 2,000 Americans, was prepared by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and paid for by Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.

While both men and women put “feeding the hungry” and “supporting our  troops” as top causes, they differ on what else they consider important.

A seven-figure gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts from former General Motors group vice president Roy Roberts and his wife, Maureen, has put a spotlight on the relative dearth of high-profile African-American philanthropists, Crain's Detroit Business and the Detroit Free Press report.

In recognition of the first seven-figure contribution to DIA by an African American, the museum will rename one of its galleries after the couple.

Here are some of the key findings from the U.S. edition of the 2011 Cygnus Donor Survey, Where Philanthropy is Headed in 2011.

Blaise Mercadante, chief development and marketing officer at Miami Jewish Health Systems, talks about the organization's efforts to groom the next generation of donors.

Next time you're out raising money for your favorite charity, you would do best to first hit up your female friends — or perhaps the wives of your male ones. Women, it appears, are much better givers.

According to a recent study by the Women's Philanthropy Institute at the University of Indiana, women are as much as 40% more likely to donate than men. What's more, women at nearly every income level are better givers. Not only do they give more often; they also tend to donate more.

At the Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association Year-End Luncheon, veteran fundraising expert Roger Craver, founder of DonorTrends and editor of The Agitator, shared five fundraising trends to get on top of in 2011.

AFP CEO Paulette Maehara shares her thoughts on Convio's positive 2010 Holiday Giving Survey findings.