Some Positive News About Nonprofit Giving

The economic downturn has all nonprofits concerned. Fortunately, a recently released study should provide a ray of hope to those that raise money for nonprofits. The study, conducted by Cygnus Applied Research, found that 52% of donors do not plan on decreasing their charitable contributions in 2009.

Remarkably, 50% of donors contacted for the study said that they intend to donate as much in 2009 as in previous years, even making sacrifices in their daily lives to sustain that level of philanthropy in 2009. The study also found that some people (42%) are interested in giving to a charity that they had not supported in the past. So, despite the economic downturn, there are opportunities to recruit new donors and supporters this year.

And, the best way to recruit those new donors is online. The study also found that online donations are going to become an even more popular way to donate, replacing the more traditional methods like tele-marketing and direct-mail as donors preferred method to give.

Of course, this does not mean that organizations should stop using more traditional means to recruit donors. Instead, online strategies should be utilized to keep donors informed and thus are the first way that organizations should ask for financial support. Online engagement is a more cost-effective way to reach donors and keep them happy. Then, if donors don't respond via online giving opportunities, it is wise to follow-up with those more traditional means.

For more information read the article in Chronicle for Philanthropy - http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/index.php?id=7442