The Blackbaud Institute, a research division of Blackbaud, the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good, today released its ninth-annual Charitable Giving Report. Tracking over $40 billion in US-based charitable giving from the Blackbaud Institute Index, the report is one of the most credible resources on fundraising performance in the social good community.
The 2020 Charitable Giving Report explores giving trends in one of the most transformational years the social good sector has seen. The report leverages the largest data set of giving and donor trends to help social good organizations understand the past and prepare for the future with resources to create informed strategies. Findings are based on giving data from 8,833 nonprofit organizations totaling $40.7 billion in fundraising revenue, plus online data from 4,964 nonprofit organizations totaling $3.2 billion in online fundraising revenue.
KEY GIVING TRENDS IN THE 2020 CHARITABLE GIVING REPORT:
• US charitable giving grew 2% year-over-year, representing an increase of more than 5% over the last three years.
• Online giving grew by nearly 21%, representing more than a 32% increase over the last three years.
• A record 13% of fundraising came from online donations in 2020, mirroring similar online retail sales trends.
• Nearly 30% of all online gifts were made from a mobile device.
• Growth in online and mobile giving represented a dramatic shift to digital in 2020.
• Donation amounts increased, with overall donations averaging $737 (a $120 increase year-over-year) and online donations averaging $177 (a $29 increase year-over-year).
• Though nonprofits of all sizes experienced a significant drop in charitable giving in April, May and June, giving made a remarkable recovery in the second half of 2020.
“Each year, we produce the Charitable Giving Report to give social good organizations a comprehensive look at how giving performed and to provide best practices that will help organizations boost their fundraising,” said Steve MacLaughlin, vice president, product management, Blackbaud, and senior advisor to the Blackbaud Institute. “While 2020 presented a multitude of hardships, we saw significant resiliency in the social good sector and growth in giving. It was truly a year of digital transformation as online giving growth proved to be an integral part of the modern nonprofit’s strategy.”
NEW FEATURES OF THE 2020 CHARITABLE GIVING REPORT INCLUDE:
• An expanded online report that readers can more easily navigate
• Video content that explains how readers can use the report findings to benchmark themselves and cultivate solid fundraising strategies
• New international insights from Blackbaud’s online giving platform, JustGiving
The full 2020 Charitable Giving Report can be accessed on the Blackbaud Institute site here, and past reports from the series can be found at blackbaudinstitute.com
The Blackbaud Institute drives research and insight to accelerate the impact of the social good community. It convenes expert partners from across the philanthropic sector to foster diverse perspectives, collective thinking, and collaborative solutions to the world’s greatest challenges.
Learn more at blackbaudinstitute.com.
