giving day statistics report - bwf · $1 million—nearly half raised more than $100,000. 53% 18%...

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© Copyright 2014 Bentz Whaley Flessner

Online Giving DayStatistics

Bentz Whaley FlessnerBentz Whaley Flessner


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Online giving days are growing in popularity and often lead to significant increases in new donor acquisition and overall fundraising. That said, most higher ed institutions have yet to conduct a giving day.

42%

58%

Have you conducted an online giving day fundraising campaign in the past 3 years?

Yes

No



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However, roughly half of those who have done one giving day, have gone on to do another giving day.

47%

53%

Have you conducted more than one online giving day fundraising campaign in the past 3 years?

Yes

No



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In higher ed especially, the approach of building a stand-alone giving day event seems to work well.

76%

24%

Was your latest online giving day a standalone event or part of a larger, regional or national giving

day such as #GivingTuesday?

Standalone

Part of a largergiving day event



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Nearly of quarter of those institutions who conducted a giving raised more than $1 million—nearly half raised more than $100,000.

53%

18%

6%

23%

What dollar amount did you raise during your latest giving day campaign?

Less than$100,000$100,000 to$499,000$500,000 to$1 Million$1 million+



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There was a wide range of donor participation, but more than a quarter had at least 1,000 donors make a gift during their giving day.

23%

18%

23%

18%

12%

6%

How many donors made online gifts during your latest giving day campaign?

Less than 100

1 to 499

500 to 999

1,000 to 1,999

2,000 to 4,999

More than 5,000



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Online giving days continue to be a strong avenue for acquiring new donors. However, from previous studies, we know the numbers are stronger when institutions leverage robust online ambassador programs for giving days.

25%

19%38%

6%

6%

0%6%

What percentage of the donors who made a gift during your latest giving day campaign were new

donors to your institution?

Less than 10%10% to 19%20% to 29%30% to 39%40% to 49%More than 50%Unknown



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Contrary to popular belief, giving days attract donors at every age level, not just young donors.

37%

13%

0%

13%

12%

6%

19%

What percentage of donors who made a gift during your latest online giving day campaign were

young alumni? (Recent grads who left school in the last 5 years):

Less than 10%10% to 19%20% to 29%30% to 39%40% to 49%More than 50%Unknown



Online Giving Days

Online giving days—when planned well

including technology, strategy, and major

donors—almost always exceed expectations.

44%

19%

37%

Did you exceed your stated goals in fundraising dollars during your latest giving day?

Yes

No

N/A

31%

25%

44%

Did you exceed your stated goals in donor participation during your latest giving day?

Yes

No

N/A



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Online giving days often help development departments exceed annual fund and overall fundraising goals.

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%

Helped usmeet our

participationgoal.

Helped usexceed ourparticipation

goal.

Helped usmeet our

dollar goal.

Helped usexceed ourdollar goal.

Did not havean impact on

our goals.

What impact did your latest giving day have on your overall fundraising goals? (Select all that apply)



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24-hour giving days are, by far, the most popular duration.

7%

66%

7%

13%

7%

0% 0%

What was the duration of your latest online giving day campaign?

12 hours or less24 hours36 hours48 hours72 hoursOne weekOne month



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Participation is a wise metric for determining giving day success—especially during first-time efforts.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Number ofdonors.

Number ofnew donors.

Studentparticipation.

Alumniparticipation.

A specificdollar amount.

Engage newor currentmajor giftdonors.

Achieveannual giving

goals.

Communicatethe impact ofand need for

philanthropy toa wider

audience.

Which of the following were goals of your latest giving day campaign? (Select all that apply)



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At a minimum, BWF_social recommends 6 months for planning an online giving day.

7%

27%

46%

13%

7%

How long prior to your latest online giving day did you start planning the effort?

1 month

2 months

3–6 months

6–12 months

12+ months.



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Most giving days were conducted on platforms built by the institutions. However, some of the largest giving days have been conducted on outside platforms.

20%

80%

Did you use an outside platform for yourlatest online giving day campaign

or was in built in-house?

Outside platform

Built in-house



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Most institutions reported working with online ambassadors to promote their giving days.

80%

20%

Did you leverage “online ambassadors” or other volunteers to promote or assist with your latest

online giving day campaign?

Yes

No



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The number of ambassadors varied widely with most institutions either working with fewer than 10 ambassadors or more than 100.

50%

8%

17%

25%

How many online ambassadors did you work with during your latest giving day campaign?

Less than 10

10 to 19

20 to 29 (no responses)



50 to 99

100 to 200

More than 200 (no responses)



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Training programs for ambassadors often determine the success of a giving day. Half of those respondents that used ambassadors, provided training.

50%50%

Did you provide a training or orientation program for your online ambassadors?

Yes

No



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For every responding institution, giving day planning resided in the annual fund.

Annual Giving100%

Which department led the planning for your latest giving day campaign?



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A wide range of staff were dedicated to planning a giving day, with just as many institutions dedicating less than one FTE as those that dedicated more than 3 FTEs to the effort.

26%0%

40%

7%

27%

How many internal staff resources did you devote to planning your giving day campaign?

0%–50% FTE

51%–99% FTE (no responses)

1–2 FTE

2.1%–3 FTE

More than 3 FTE



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On-campus events help reinforce the sense of event around giving days.

40%

60%

Did you have on-campus events to correlate with your latest online giving day?

Yes

No



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The phone and mail programs can be of enormous help…even during online events.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Direct mail The phone program Live events

What other tools, in addition to online and social media, did you employ before, during, or after your latest giving day campaign? (Select all that apply)



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Spring appears to be the most popular time of year for hosting a giving day.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

Winter Spring Summer Fall On#GivingTuesday

During aregional giving

day

Around an eventspecific to youralumni/campus

When did you host your latest online giving day campaign? (Select all that apply)



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Despite the massive fundraising and donor engagement potential of giving days, most institutions dedicate few resources to the effort.

73%

20%

7%

What was your total budget for planning, implementing, and analyzing your latest giving day

campaign? This includes any outside counsel, vendors, platforms, etc.

Less than $10,000

$10,000 to $24,999

$25,000 to $49,999(no responses)$50,000 to $99,999(no responses)$100,000 to $250,000(no responses)Greater than$250,000



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While fewer than half the institutions have conducted a giving day, the large majority are planning one within the next year.

65%

35%

Are you planning an online giving day fundraising campaign in the next 12 months?

Yes

No

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giving day statistics report - bwf · $1 million—nearly half raised more than $100,000. 53% 18%...

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