Nonprofits could be doing a lot more to better their online fundraising efforts, new research suggests.
A survey by fundraising consultants Dunham and Company and Next After analyzed data provided by 151 charitable organizations on 46 different metrics. The study's findings showed many nonprofits are falling short in maximizing donor-giving potential.
Most nonprofits don't make online giving as accessible as they could through their websites, with 65 percent hiding their donation platforms three or more clicks away from the site's homepage -- something some industry experts believe is a big mistake. Engaging new subscribers wasn't a priority for a substantial number of charities either, as 37 percent did not reach out to new email subscribers within the first 30 days of their interest.
Brad Davies, vice president for digital services for Dunham and Company, said the study shows the potential for fundraising growth is huge.
"What we found is that there’s massive room for improvement," Davies told the Chronicle of Philanthropy of the study's results. "It is easy to assume nonprofits are missing out on several billion dollars" by not optimizing their online fundraising efforts.
Other interesting findings from the study included:
- 79 percent did not personalize emails soliciting donations with the recipient's first or last name.
- 84 percent of donation pages were not designed for mobile users.
- 14 percent of organizations did not create a sense of urgency in their donation asks, encouraging supporters to give.
Check out the infographic below to see how charities use their websites for fundraising. (For a better mobile user experience, click on the image.)
Infographic courtesy of Dunham and Company.
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