The annual Individual Donor Benchmark Study was recently released by Third Space Studio. The main thing I love about this study is that it focuses on data from ‘smallish’ organizations with budgets under $2M. It is one of the few studies we’ve found that doesn’t lump philanthropic giving to universities and hospitals together with the scrappy and local organizations with whom we often work.
So, what does this year’s study tell us?
We’re getting better at retaining our donors, but still lose about 40% of them annually.
Half of the revenue from individual donors comes from people giving $1,000 or less.
Only about 4 in 10 board members are active in fundraising in any significant way.
Does that sound about right to you?
You can read the full report here. Check it out. There is some really great information about how to translate the data into action and create realistic expectations when preparing your annual fund development plan.
What?! You don’t have a fund development plan? Or you are still working off of the same one your predecessor created a few years ago?
Well then, you need to get yourself to our next Working Workshop in the Do Good Better Studio series. PLAN: Your Blueprint for Fundraising Success is one of our most popular workshops, and we still have a few spots for the August 19th session.
Not convinced you need to work on your plan? One more finding from the Individual Donor Benchmark Study: “The best way to ensure fundraising success is to have a plan.” Seriously. Read the report.
Carry on!
Jenny