The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has some good news for nonprofit organizations: Study shows big jump in online contributions for nonprofit groups. Here are a few highlights from the article:
- While online donations are up, they still only account for a small portion (5.7%) of total contributions to nonprofits, hence traditional fundraising methods are still essential.
- Check to see if there is an organization in your area dedicated to helping regional nonprofits raise money, both online and offline. There may also be similar organizations dedicated to helping certain categories of charitable missions.
- Much like a pledge-drive on public television, online donations tend to be spurred when matched with an event, such as a matching campaign or concert.
- Make sure the technology used to collect online donations is sound and in good working order. You don’t want to lose donations because of a server crash or software bug.
- Smaller organizations tend to benefit more from online donations than larger organizations because less resources are necessary.
- Fundraising will always be a challenge for non-profit organizations, but utilizing new technology and trends is one way to supplement traditional fundraising efforts.