Progressive Nonprofits Poised for Growth in Support, Says New Study

About 31 percent of donors to progressive organizations say they plan to give more in 2017 than they did last year, according to a new study.

Fifty-two percent said they plan to maintain the same level of support this year as in 2016.

The findings echo those from a survey released in June that found Democrats were particularly motivated to give more generously in the wake of the election of President Trump.

The new report, which looked at donors who give primarily through direct mail and those who give mostly online, found that digital donors were most likely to say they plan to dig deeper in 2017; 40 percent said so, compared with 29 percent of direct-mail donors.

“For the progressive community generally, it’s time to grow,” said Charles Pruitt, co-managing director of the fundraising strategy firm ABD Direct, said Wednesday at a presentation of the results in Washington. “This is the moment. Every organization should take a good look at their donor base.”

However, he warned nonprofits to engage donors for the long haul, not simply rack up a “body count” of short-term supporters who are reacting to news events. “It should be smart growth,” he said. “Don’t ambulance chase.”

The study of 600 direct-mail and 1,142 online donors was conducted in late May and early June by ABD Direct and the Mellman Group, a research organization. The companies did similar studies of progressive donors in 1995 and 2007, and the new report compares some results to the 2007 study.

Direct Mail vs. Digital

The study found some key differences between people who give mostly online and those who tend to give offline.

People who give through the mail said they were most likely to learn about the organizations they support through mail appeals. Online donors said they were most likely to learn about nonprofits through email from those organizations.

“Offline and online donors seem to be living in their own worlds,” Mr. Pruitt noted, and smart organizations need to be seeking support through both channels or risk leaving money on the table.

Online may have the greatest potential for growth. After nearly a quarter-century of digital commerce, Mr. Pruitt said, “online fundraising is due for disruption.”

Among other findings:

• Compared with the 2007 study, both mail and online donors now have a higher average age, but it’s more significant among digital donors. In 2007, the average age for online donors was 52; this year, it was 66. For direct-mail donors, it went from 68 to 71.
• About 82 percent of direct-mail donors responded positively to the word “liberal” and 70 percent to “progressive.” By contrast, 89 percent of online donors responded favorably to both terms.

Hot Topics

Online donors were most likely to say that blocking President Trump’s policy agenda was their top priority, with 39 percent picking that course of action. Thirty percent of direct-mail donors were most focused on giving the Senate a Democratic majority.

Among individual issues that alarmed all donors, the most concerning, cited by 60 percent of respondents, was the potential loss of health insurance for millions under President Trump and the GOP Congress. Following closely behind: government budget cuts to education, health care, and environmental programs (59 percent), the weakening of environmental protections (58 percent), neglecting to protect the environment (56 percent), and the effect of global warming on future generations (54 percent).

The researchers noted the survey was conducted around the time President Trump announced the United States would pull out of the Paris climate accord, which may have pushed environmental concerns to the forefront for many respondents.

The report offered advice for crafting messages to win support for specific causes.

Environment: Focus on efforts by Mr. Trump and Republican lawmakers to loosen environmental regulations rather than on climate change or companies that pollute.

Women’s issues: Spotlight women’s rights to legal abortion and the possibility of those rights being taken away rather than on potential Supreme Court rulings.

Health care: Zero in on details of a possible Affordable Care Act repeal, such as the impact on people with pre-existing conditions.

International issues: Focus on how the president’s policies are causing greater instability in the world and uncertainty among our allies rather than on the possible role of Russia in the presidential election.

Note: A previous version of this article reversed the descriptions of ABD Direct and the Mellman Group.