The new 2014 M+R Benchmarks Study is out and provides a view of online performance for 53 U.S.-based nonprofits. The annual report covers email strategies, mobile programs, fundraising, website activity, and two social media networks. The data includes the results of over 2 billion email messages and over 5.6 million online gifts.
The data shows that nonprofits are reaching more of their client base through websites, email campaigns, and social media. Online giving increased by 14% while the average gift sized increased by only 2%. Monthly giving revenue grew 25% in 2013 and accounted for 16% of total online giving.
Online Donations:
Monthly website traffic for study participants grew by 16% in 2013. Online revenue and the number of online gifts both increased by 14% last year.
- On average, 0.69% of website visitors donated money
- The average revenue per visitor was $0.60 but was $5.48 for nonprofits with an international mission
- Website visitors converted at a rate of 15%
Email messages:
Email responses accounted for one-third of online gifts. The 53 nonprofits sent 2,146,986,311 email messages to 41,755,322 subscribers in 2013. They received 5,635,397 online gifts totaling $324,890,672.61. email subscribers donated more than two times more revenue than through other online channels including visitors who came directly to the website.
I can say that the opposite held true for a startup nonprofit I worked with the first half of this year. They held their first ever event on Cinco deMayo. Website donations far outstripped any other form of cash donation. The average online gif was $105. The only other donations that were of greater value were in-kind donations of goods for the auction.
The 13% overall email open rate was a decline of 4% from 2012 even though the average overall email list size grew by 14% in 2013. However, the prospecting was worse for fundraising emails with a response rates decline of 11%.
The average email gift was $23 while the average online gift was $20.
Social Media Giving:
Social media followers continue to take a backset to email contacts. For every 1,000 email subscribers, respondents had an average of 199 Facebook fans and 110 Twitter followers. The nonprofits are trying to change that by growing their social media presences. The average nonprofit increases its Facebook fans by 37% and its on Twitter following by 46%.
