Bonus Data
Thanks for your interest in finding out more from the Individual Donor Benchmark Project! If you have not yet downloaded the data brief, click here.
If you have a question about the data, please get in touch with me!
Thanks!
Heather Yandow
IDB Project Creator
Questions
What were the survey questions?
Survey questions can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yv7RZ8nOTHRM3I6StvOGNs_qI_R-_o9Bknm0QR2ND2E/edit?usp=sharing.
Who participated in the 2016 IDB survey?
155 organizations with budgets under $2 million participated in the 2016 survey. These organizations are from across the US:
Organizations include:
Mali Health
Manatee County Habitat for Humanity
Maplewood Area Historical Society
Mass Alliance
Memphis Black Arts Alliance
Mighty Writers
Missoula Writing Collaborative
Mobility Worldwide MO - Columbia
NARAL Pro-Choice NC
Natural Heritage Land Trust
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
NC League of Conservation Voters
NC WARN
Neurofibromatosis (NF) Midwest
Neurofit Networks, Inc. dba Parkinson Wellness Recovery
Oak Park Regional Housing Center
Oakland Youth Chorus
Ogden Nature Center
Oregon Head Start Association
Patners for Youth Opportunity
Peace Community Center
Philadelphia Area Disc Alliance
Philippine American Foundation for Charities
Portage Park District Foundation
Project Help
Project: LEARN of Medina County (Ohio)
Purple Asparagus
Queen Anne Food Bank
Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project - QWOCMAP
Rain for the Sahara
Razom for Ukraine
Rebuild Africa, Inc.
The Reconnect
Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South
Sadie Nash Leadership Project
San Diego Coastkeeper
Santa Fe Farmers' Market Institute
SeaShare
Seattle Community Law Center
Shoes That Fit
Sierra Service Project
Silver Spring (MD) Village, Inc.
Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Snow City Arts
Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion
Sound Rivers
Southside Community Kitchen
Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation
Spirit in Action International
SPOON
States United to Prevent Gun Violence
Street Youth Ministry of Austin
Student Action with Farmworkers
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
SunServe
TahDah Foundation
Tandem, Partners in Early Learning
Teen Success, Inc.
Thanks, but we don't want to be listed
A Time to Heal
Toxic Free NC
Triangle Land Conservancy
Turtle Island Restoration Network
Uneed2
United Through Reading
Voice of Care
Voices Together
Volunteer Center of Kern County
WakeUP Wake County
Washington Square Park Conservancy
Washington Wine Industry Foundation
The Welcome Project
Wild Utah Project
Winyah Rivers Foundation, Inc.
Workers' Dignity / Dignidad Obrera
Yavapai CASA for Kids Foundation
Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus
24th Street Theatre
Act for Great Apes
ADDA-SR
Agape Asia Foundation
American Legion Post 101 - Somers, CT
Animal Welfare Society of New Jersey
Arise Citizens' Policy Project
Association of Nature Center Administrators
Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative
Bettendorf Public Library Foundation
The Boys and Girls Club of Chaffee County Colorado
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
Brakebill Community Development Corp
Camp of Champions USA
Campaign for Southern Equality
Cascades Raptor Center
Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation
Cause Effective
CEA
The Center for Wisdoms Women
The Child & Family Network Centers
Clean Air Carolina
Clean Air: Organizing for Health and Justice
Coastal Watershed Council
College Settlement of Philadelphia
Colorado Sierra Club
Columbia Riverkeeper
Community Advocates for Family & Youth (CAFY)
Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley
Community Foundation of West Kentucky
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)
CUESA
Dan's House of Hope
David Brower Center
Delaware Speech and Hearing Center
Detroit RiverFront Conservancy
Dismas Ministry
Dream Catcher Stables, Inc
Dream Come True Foundation
Eastern Shore of Virginia Habitat for Humanity
Eastern Shore Regional Library Foundation
El Pueblo, Inc.
Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association
Eno River Association
Executive Service Corps of Southern California
Families Together, Inc.
Farrington Nature Linc
Fayette County Association for the Blind
First Baptist Church of Holliston
Freedom Builders of America
Freshwater Future
Friends of North Creek Forest
GateWay Second Chance Foundation
Girls on the Run of Eastern Iowa
GleanKY
Global Birthing Home Foundation
Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation
Grace Community's Resource and Empowerment Center, Inc.
Graceful Dynamics Consulting
Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training
Greenbelt Land Trust
The Hope Project
Human Services Center Corporation
Idealware
Intermountain Impact Investments
International Essential Tremor Foundation
Jeannette Rankin Peace and Resource Center
John Bunker Sands Wetland Center
Jumping Mouse Children's Center
Kino Border Initiative
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center
Land Conservancy of West Michigan
The Land Trust of North Alabama
Laudholm Trust
LGBT Center of Raleigh
LIKEME Lighthouse-KC, Inc.
Linda Loring Nature Foundation
Literacy Connects
How many organizations of each size participated in the survey?
We had a good distribution of organizations across all sizes, including:
41 with revenues under $200,000 (small)
48 with revenues between $200,000 and $500,000 (medium)
32 with revenues between $500,000 and $1,000,000 (large)
34 with revenues between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 (super)
What's the median number of donors and average gift?
The median number of donors is 257 and the median average gift is $333. These numbers are significantly lower than the averages, meaning that there are more organizations reporting smaller numbers of donors or average gifts, but a few organizations with large numbers that are influencing the average.
It seems like recurring donations fell in 2016? Is that the case?
The numbers are slightly down in many ways: percentage of individual donor revenue, average gift, and overall revenue. However, the number of donors giving recurring gifts is up from 9% to 11%. This could be an insignificant fluctuation in the numbers within the margin of error for this data poll. It may also be the a result of the increasing amount of credit cards fraud and donors having to re-engage with organizations to update their information.
How do recurring donations impact retention rate?
They don't! Retention rates seem to hover at 60% for organizations of all sizes, issues, and strategies. For those organizations who have recurring donation programs, the retention rate is 60.19%, for those without the retention rate is 61.76% - a negligible difference!
What is the breakdown by size of organization for online donations?
Organizational size has a limited impact on online donations, as can be seen below. The average organization raises 24% of their revenue online, 4 out of 10 of their donors give online, and the average online gift is $300.
Size | % Individual Donor Revenue Raised Online | % of Donors Giving Online | Average Online Gift
Small | 25% | 40% | $335
Medium | 26% | 40% | $295
Large | 24% | 41% | $222
Super | 18% | 39% | $342
Average | 24% | 40% | $300