Nonprofit Fundraising Results Remain Consistent According to Blackbaud Index

As we approach the end of 2013 and are in the midst of end-of-year nonprofit fundraising activities it’s important to reflect on the performance of our efforts over the past year. An excellent source of industry statistical information is the monthly Blackbaud Index. As I wrote last month, Nonprofit Fundraising Experienced Variable Results According to the Latest Blackbaud Index. It seems to have been the trend for 2013 where some reported results were promising while others were underwhelming. The trend continues with the latest Blackbaud Index which covers the three month period ending September 2013 as results seemed to be promising enough to indicate a strong 2013 finish in comparison to the rest of the year.

Based on $13 billion raised by 3,700 US based nonprofit organizations, the results show an increase of 4.3% over the same period in 2012, which is a full 1% increase based on the numbers initially reported in early October. However, when compared to adjusted numbers it represents a decrease of -0.4% from the 4.7% actual updated result in this month’s index. Interesting to note is that the time frame for the results of this month’s index covers a bulk of summer with July and August, which traditionally are considered slower months with supporters focused on vacation and other activities. It also includes September which in the past has had mixed results largely due to getting back into a routine of returning to school and work.

When the results are compared, the transition from August to September in previous years it falls somewhere in between a stronger September in 2012 and a weak showing in September 2011. Despite the slight decline it’s encouraging to see that this month’s results is average compared to the rest of the year and falls somewhere in the lower-middle of the spectrum and with the last quarter still to go. In 2012 a strong result of 3.9% in September resulted in a fairly consistent performance for the remainder of the year and if that trend were to continue this year we will end 2013 with some decent results.

Broken down by subsector and organization size top performers included International Affairs with an incredible 17.1% increase over the previous year followed by small organizations with 8.7% and Public and Society Benefit with 5.7%. Only three organization types experienced a decline: K-12 Independent Schools with a decrease of -5.9%; Human Services with -1.1%; and Healthcare with -0.4%.

Based on 3,200 nonprofit organizations that combined have raised $1.7 billion in online revenue the results show that for the second consecutive month there has been a decrease in online giving registering a results of 9.9% for the three-month period ending September 2013, the first single digit results since August 2012 (5.0%). This result could be attributed to the summer holidays, but we could also be hitting a plateau in which only regular donors have the comfort level to be making their donation online. Previous years have seen a modest increase in online giving from August to September and I predict the same occurring this year.

Top online performers by organization type included K-12 Independent Schools with 19.1%, Arts & Culture with 13.9% and International Affairs with 11.4%. Lower performers included Medical Research which experienced a decrease of -2.9% and Public and Society Benefit with -2.1% and medium sized organizations with an increase of 7.5%.

While there are still three more reporting months to go for 2013, its important that end-of-year initiatives are still on track to ensure a successful final quarter. The following is some recommended reading that can help you stay on course:

• 5 Tips for Stronger 2013 End of Year Nonprofit Fundraising
• 6 Tips for End of Year Nonprofit Fundraising Email Campaigns for Stronger Results
• 3 Tips for #GivingTuesday Preparation to Optimize Nonprofit Fundraising
• 4 Crowdfunding Tips for Successful End of Year Nonprofit Fundraising Campaigns
• 5 Strategies for Stronger End-of-Year Nonprofit Fundraising Results

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.