Nearly one-third of big donors — 29 percent — said they planned to give more in 2017 than they did last year, according to newly released results of a survey conducted from February to April.
That could be good news for fundraisers as they head into the year-end giving season. Big donors — those who gave $10,000 or more in 2016 — contributed 14 times more to charity than donors who gave less than that last year, the report says.
Only 8 percent of big donors said they’d give less this year, according to the survey of more than 13,000 charity supporters.
Nearly a quarter of the donors in the survey said they gave $10,000 or more last year.
This year’s survey is the most “optimistic” report for major gifts since the survey of charity supporters was first conducted in 2009, says Penelope Burk, president of Cygnus Applied Research, the fundraising-consulting firm that produces the annual report.
Among other key findings:
- Sixty-seven percent of big donors said they expected to give more in 2017 because of improved personal finances, while 41 percent said the election of President Trump would spur them to give more. (Survey participants could choose more than one response.)
- Thirty percent of big donors said they usually increase their giving annually; 26 percent said they were contributing more because they were impressed with how at least one nonprofit used their previous gifts; and 18 percent said they were donating more this year to support a capital campaign or other major project.
- People who gave $10,000 or more in 2016 contributed to an average of 16 charities, while those who gave below that level supported an average of nine organizations. That means many kinds of charities could benefit from large donors’ generosity, the report says.
Holding Giving Back
Still, many large donors continue to report that they can give more but choose not to. A third of donors who gave more than $10,000 in 2016 said they could have dug deeper last year.
To get big donors to contribute more in the year-end giving season, Ms. Burk urges fundraisers to:
Make fundraising appeals for a specific purpose. This is especially important for prospective donors and supporters who have given only a few times, she says.
“They need that money assigned somewhere specific,” Ms. Burk says, because donors want to assess how well the organization will use their initial gifts before they commit to that charity further.
Loyal donors also tend to prefer to earmark their contributions for specific projects, she says, although some may be more open to appeals for unrestricted gifts because they trust the organization. “Donors will let you know when that time comes,” she says.
Show results of previous contributions in your appeals. Ms. Burk gives the example of someone who donates to medical research: “Donors say even if they don’t fully understand the depth and breadth of what they’re being told, they appreciate knowing things,” she says. “It gives donors confidence.”
Potential donors want to know “exactly what the organization is intending to do with the money they raise” and what the organization’s track record is with other supporters’ money, she says. If a nonprofit can convey that, she says, it will give new donors faith in the organization.
Thank donors. When big donors make gifts, be sure to call them as soon as possible to express appreciation, Ms. Burk says. “It doesn’t cost a thing, and it’s about the best investment that a gift officer can ever make,” she says. Sometimes a fundraiser can get good information from the donor about why they gave that can be used in future appeals to them.
The Chronicle reviewed other key findings from the report in June.
