I always enjoy reading reports, surveys and studies from around the industry. They shed new light on how we do our work and ways we can improve.
The 2014 Fundraising Technology Trends Study was published recently and is an interesting look at how technology is impacting fundraisers’ jobs.
Another section of the survey looked at the types of communications channels fundraisers are using to talk to and raise money from donors. Overwhelmingly 83% said “in person or events.” Major gifts play an important role in many fundraising programs, but I was surprised to see that it was the most utilized by fundraisers in this survey.
This interesting statistic makes me think about the opportunities that we may have to innovate in this area. In particular – what can we do to improve how we do major gifts or event fundraising?
As Shanon Doolittle will tell you, the biggest improvement we can make to events is to make them experiential. This is where you use the event to give donors a taste for what your organization does and the impact you have. Storytelling can play an important role in this.
Another finding from this survey that was less surprising is that of all the online channels available for organizations to raise money, 74% rely on their website. Your organization’s website is your “welcome mat” online. Donors view it as the most reliable place to find out information about your organization and judge the quality of the organization based on the information they find there. It is extremely important to put thought into the content and copy on your website. Engage visitors from that first moment.
Read the all the findings of The 2014 Fundraising Technology Trends Study here.
