Online Fundraising, Advocacy, and Social Media

Evolution of Online Donors

Written by Allyson Kapin | 2011/12/7

Technology is evolving every day, but no one really stops to think about how far it has actually come--particularly in the form of online donations. Network for Good turned ten a couple of weeks ago and to celebrate, they've created an infographic that shows how the online donor has evolved over the decade. 

And there is much to celebrate. More people than ever are donating money online and through mobile. Some key signs that online donations have gone mainstream are the prevalence of disaster relief gifts. Despite that the average donation decreased from $226 in 2001 to $73 in 2011, a lot more people are giving today.

Check out these stats!

  • There has been a 61% increase in people who have given online between 2001 and 2011.
  • Only 1 in 10 gifts were given to the 9/11 disaster online vs. 1 in 3 gifts were given online/mobile to the Japan earthquake disaster.
  • In the 10 years of doing good online, people have gone from asking, "what's social media?" to believe that they can help promote a social issue or cause using platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

What has changed for your organization over the last decade? When did you start online giving program and how does it compare to your Direct Mail results?