Harris Poll indicates fundraising slowly turning round

Professional fundraising is facing new and different challenges in the US according to a new Harris poll of more than 2500 adults surveyed in September. The impact of an economy that continues to struggle to find solid footing after three years in the doldrums manifests itself in many ways including of course peoples charitable habits. Despite assets being reduced almost unilaterally the poll represents data that shows Americans are still willing to give time and money to charity but are tending to give less and selecting fewer organizations in general.

The data continues a trend that has been in evidence for a few years now but shows that some of the negative results reached their lowest levels at the beginning of 2009 when the same poll was last administered with minor yet fairly consistent improvement being shown since that time. What is most clear is that the return to pre-recessionary donor levels in terms of both amount given and the spectrum of nonprofits supported may still be some time away. The statistics themselves from the survey are valuable to help interpret the current atmosphere in late 2010 when it comes to overall fund-raising activities and attitudes. Two things I think can be drawn from the numbers most readily are that donor engagement and volunteerism are both absolutely vital, perhaps more so than ever. Nonprofits must find improved abilities for donor engagement both in retaining existing support but also impressing upon the importance of the contribution made by new donors. Better and more versatile communication is extremely important so that somebody who has given to a cause knows that the contribution is both appreciated but also helping to make a difference.

The other trend in keeping with everything that I’ve researched this year and shows that many who may not have the money to contribute to a nonprofit are still very willing to volunteer time, so often this is done via the workplace but private volunteerism is most definitely on the rise. Once again engaging those who are willing to help is a critical first step to achieve successfully and then keep the relationship at the same level. Many comments I’ve read speak of people who have donated their time going to show up at events to find them unorganized or the time they can contribute not being used as effectively as they would’ve hoped.

The full report as many key findings and comparisons but I want to focus on some of the more interesting ones. Please note that each of the comparisons are compared with January 2009.

• 31% of those surveyed are giving smaller amounts, equal to the previous results
• 19% are giving to fewer organizations down from 24%
• 12% are not donating, an increase from 6%
• 24% believe people have a personal responsibility to make the world a better place compared with 31% back in 2007
• 21% care most about nonprofits that focus on youth and families, 14% medical research and 10% education
• 39% say they took action as a direct result of following a cause online
• 54% of those (above) shared their participation via social media to friends and family

As with other polls interpreting the key data is often most useful by looking at benchmarks from the past, overall though 2011 looks to be a year of slow improvement in the nonprofit sector which once again stresses the value of relationship building. At Miratel we offer the the key component of using reputable professional fundraising services with our vast experience, maximising donor retention and donor support are key skills that will help your nonprofit substantially in 2011 and beyond.

I would highly encourage you to read the full report published by Harris interactive which breaks down many more questions and makes historical comparisons about charitable giving trends in the US. Please follow this link to read the full report.