Should nonprofits be less panicked now that the latest report by Blackbaud report shows that charitiable giving is finally up for nonprofit sector since the recession? While this trend is good news for the sector, don't throw a big bash to celebrate this milestone just yet. As Amy Sample Ward and I discuss in our book Social Change Anytime Everywhere there are over 1.6 million organizations in the United States. This means that there are hundreds or even thousands of organizations working on similar issues with similar names and missions competing for donor dollars. It's time for nonprofits to start diversifying their revenue streams all year round.
As Steve MacLaughlin puts it:
“Nonprofits have many opportunities to diversify their giving throughout the year so they aren’t so dependent on year-end fundraising. As evidenced by giving days like #GivingTuesday and end-of-fiscal year campaigns in June, nonprofits have the opportunity to drive donor behavior by shifting their fundraising strategies.”
#GivingTuesday saw an immense growth in 2013, as evidenced by Craig Newmark's recent infographic, Cracking the Crowdfunding Code. Check out these key findings from the 2013 Charitable Giving Report:
- Online giving (13.5%) grew more than overall giving (4.9%).
- Small orgs saw the greatest increase in online giving.
- Faith-based organizations experienced the most online giving of all the sectors.
- It's ideal for your nonprofit to implement a monthly giving program.