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Colorado Gives Day Report: Two Key Findings Your Nonprofit Needs to Know


By Angela Bevacqua, Senior Communications Specialist, Community First Foundation

Each year, after Colorado Gives Day, we compile a very comprehensive Report to measure results and learn about Colorado’s online giving patterns. In addition to basic results--like # of donations, donors and participating nonprofits--we measure year-to-year growth, results according to organization type, and more.

Findings from our Report can help you build your online giving strategy. Here are two that should mean something to every nonprofit involved with GivingFirst and Colorado Gives Day:

Key Finding #1: 
91% of nonprofits participating in Colorado Gives Day 2012 reported at least one new donor. (According to 84% of surveyed nonprofits.) This means that not only is Colorado Gives Day a way to draw in brand new supporters, but you also need to think about how to retain them.

  • Draw them in: We know that many people come to GivingFirst.org to learn about nonprofits that align with their interests. Have you looked at your GivingFirst profile from a prospective donor’s perspective?  Have you written a compelling “appeal” (the organizational summary)? It shows up 1) in the GivingFirst home page when you get a donation, 2) in search results 3) in the checkout cart, and 4) on your profile page. Have you uploaded a logo? Do you include compelling photos, video or infographics? Even if you don’t have the design means, you turn your own outcomes in text form into a picture format and display that in the picture section. Check out our recent blog that shows you how to spiff up your GivingFirst profile.

  • Keep ‘em in: Now that you’ve got ‘em, what do you do to keep them interested in your work? According to The Philanthropic Planning Companion, 46% of donors decide to stop giving for reasons tied to lack of meaningful information or a feeling that their giving is not appreciated. Do you bring new donors into your fold? Ensure they receive newsletters and any other promotional materials? Did you thank them for their Colorado Gives Day gift? What have you done to show them what you are doing this year?

Key Finding #2:
47% of organizations raised $5,000 or more on Colorado Gives Day 2012.
Every nonprofit has a different goal, and the average on Colorado Gives Day was around $12,000, but the $5,000 number shows us nearly half of nonprofits had a strategy that makes online fundraising valuable. Here’s what we know works for some of the organizations:

  • They promote GivingFirst Fundraising Pages, expanding their prospect list to friends of their volunteers, board members and others fundraising on their behalf.
  • They promote the flexibility of recurring donations that can lead to larger gifts over time.
  • They build online giving into their overall fundraising plan.
  • They use a combination of online and offline methods of communications, tailored to the donors.

What can you do?

Good luck with your online giving program for 2013, and stay tuned to our blog and e-newsletters for more tips. Plus, don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter.

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