After Pandemic Bump, Walk Fundraising Events Simmer, and More Research

Walks, bike rides, fun runs, and other fundraising events had a modest 3 percent revenue growth in 2023, but the nonprofits that hold them could do more to get participants raising money, according to new data from the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum.

The group released its annual list of Top 30 fundraising events that engage friends and family to donate while participating in an event. Data from the previous year showed a 19 percent revenue growth as groups emerged from pandemic shutdowns. While smaller in comparison, this year’s growth is still good, says Marcie Maxwell, the group’s managing director.

“It was a very successful year,” she says. “It doesn’t feel as successful because it’s not that rebound effect we saw after the pandemic.”

The single-digit growth in revenue at the top 30 fundraising events was accompanied by a 15 percent growth in participants of the events. Maxwell says that indicates both a disconnect and an opportunity for growth.

“Clearly, people are coming back and signing up for our walks or runs or cycling events, but they’re not all” raising money for the charity, she says. “That will be something for people to prioritize and think about. How do they make sure that the people they’re bringing in are also fundraising and contributing to that revenue growth?”

Also of note, the online gaming event Extra Life, which appeared at No. 30 on the 2022 list, did not earn enough money to make the cut in 2023. Maxwell said she couldn’t comment on specific events or whether the online nature of Extra Life impacted its standing. She did say a variety of new, diverse programs that engage peers made the list in 2023, including two fundraising and awards competitions from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The full report on the top 30 peer-to-peer fundraising events is online.

Americans Don’t Know DAFs, but Support Reforms

A new poll found that most Americans aren’t familiar with how donor-advised funds or foundations work, but when asked about specific policies that would reform current practices — including payout requirements — they support them. Commissioned by two groups on opposite ends of the political spectrum, Inequality.org and the Giving Review, the poll surveyed 1,005 Americans in February 2024.

According to the poll, only 17 percent of respondents said they were “aware of” DAFs and how they work, and the same percentage was aware that DAFs were under no obligation to disburse funds to charities. More than half (58 percent) were aware that charities were struggling.

When asked their opinions of specific policy suggestions, 71 percent somewhat or strongly agreed that Congress should raise required foundation payouts to 10 percent and implement a 10 percent payout requirement on DAFs, even if that “reduces the amount of money in the future.” Respondents also agreed that taxpayers “shouldn’t have to subsidize billionaires/wealthy Americans who wish to create permanent legacy foundations” (83 percent), and that there should be a maximum tax deduction, either as an annual or lifetime cap, that wealthy people can claim for donations (75 percent).

Full data from the poll, which also looks at attitudes toward anonymous donations, is online.

Report Offers Tips for Tackling U.K. ‘Cost of Giving Crisis’

Charities in the United Kingdom in 2024 will likely continue to experience a “cost of giving crisis,” where donors feel the pinch of higher costs of living and give less, says a recent report from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. One of Britain’s largest membership organizations of charities, NCVO publishes an annual report on trends for the new year.

In The Road Ahead 2024, NCVO notes that because of giving declines in 2023, “many in the voluntary sector have not had time to look beyond keeping their doors open.”

Like in the U.S., the U.K. has experienced inflation and waning investment by local governments. To offset these challenges, the report says it expects the following shifts in 2024: (1) more partnerships between charities and national and local governments to tackle issues facing society; (2) greater collaboration between organizations to better navigate challenges and create more impact; and (3) more charities will adapt to meet technological and environmental shifts, including charities integrating artificial intelligence into their work, and charities dealing with or factoring in the effects of climate change on their work, such as more severe weather events impacting their offices or the populations their work aids.

The entire report is available to read free online with registration.