Analyzing trends in the fundraising world is important on many levels. It lets you know what's happening in the industry, what that may mean for the future and how it compares to the past. Studying trends also lets you know where you stand compared to other organizations, allowing you to pinpoint what your organization is doing well and what it needs to work on.
The mobile-giving industry has the potential to change the face of global philanthropy. The first U.S. campaign was a 10-second 2008 Super Bowl ad that raised $10,000 for United Way. That year $300,000 in text donations went to just over 100 charities. So far in 2010, mobile giving in the U.S. has brought in 100 times that ($50 million), for five times as many organizations.
There's much debate underway regarding the effectiveness of traditional fundraising sources. We're hearing a lot about social media, the importance of websites, emerging technologies and the transitioning of direct mail to electronic media.
The demographic sands are shifting — there will be an increasing number of older donors with more disposable income as the baby boomer generation matures, and those donors are going to have to use technology to support their nonprofit organizations of choice. With the likely long-term demise of checks as a method of payment, nonprofits are going to need to make sure their technology is incredibly easy to use so anyone can utilize it.
C-level executives Angel Aloma, Danny McGregor and Atul Tandon, along with moderator Tom Harrison, discussed the biggest issues concerning fundraisers at the DMA Nonprofit Federation New York Nonprofit Conference.
Mobile presents a huge opportunity for nonprofits to expand their fundraising and outreach efforts. Many nonprofits have already run successful fundraising campaigns; the biggest example to date is the mobile campaigns during the Haiti earthquake, where the American Red Cross alone raised more than $30 million using a common short code.
As the mobile Web expands, strategy options for nonprofits using mobile as a distribution channel have changed too. For any nonprofit, the data is clear: Donors are on mobile. They are looking for your nonprofit on mobile. The good news is the mobile Web offers a solution that meets every tight budget and urgent fundraising need.
Just as "Internet Management for Nonprofits: Strategies, Tools & Trade Secrets" advises its readers to do, the book is available via different channels — including Kindle, online, e-mail updates and hardcover — and takes on the appropriate identity in each. Here, Hart explains more about how the book can benefit nonprofits:
Text messaging is fundamental to the daily routine of the next generation of donors and members. To build community and to recruit new members, text messaging is an option every nonprofit should explore.
PayPal, eBay?s online-payment service, has introduced PayPal Mobile 2.5, a new version of its application for Apple?s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The updated version of the PayPal app allows users to donate to their favourite charities. The 2.5 version of the application, announced on 18 August, allows users to donate to more than 23,000 charities in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, according to a blog post by Laura Chambers, senior director of PayPal Mobile. ?As increases, donating via the mobile is also becoming more popular,? wrote Chambers. ?We hope the new application will simplify the donation
