Donors Who Gave Less in December Felt Disconnected and Overwhelmed by Appeals
By Emily Haynes
Senior Editor, Nonprofit Intelligence
March 20, 2019 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Title: “Holidazed: The Myth and Reality Behind Giving in December 2018″
Organization: RKD Group and McQueen Mackin & Associates
Summary: A new study of December 2018 giving found that the quality and quantity of end-of-year fundraising appeals affected how and whether donors gave. Half of those who gave less in December 2018 said they did so because they felt disconnected from the nonprofits they had previously supported.
The report also found that 48 percent of donors who gave less in December 2018 did so in response to a deluge of fundraising appeals from those organizations.
However, the report’s authors suggest that rather than limiting their outreach this December, nonprofits should focus on personalizing requests for donations. “The problem isn’t that nonprofits are sending too many asks but that you aren’t reaching or connecting with your donor,” the authors wrote in the report.
The report’s authors also suggested that nonprofits appeal to donors through a combination of communications, such as direct mail, telephone, and email. “There isn’t a particular appeal outperforming or underperforming for year-end giving,” they found.
The survey, by the marketing company RKD Group and researchers at McQueen Mackin & Associates, questioned a nationally representative group of donors who give to four or more nonprofits a year.
It found that 12 percent of those donors reported giving less in December 2018 than they did in December 2017. The donors in the survey were more likely to support community organizations and faith-based nonprofits than groups working nationally or internationally.
Among the other findings:
- 48 percent of donors who decreased December giving in 2018 contributed to a friend or family member in need rather than a nonprofit.
- 62 percent of people who reported giving more last December also contributed on Giving Tuesday.
- 60 percent of people who said they donated the same amount last December also made contributions on Giving Tuesday.
- Donors reported giving through multiple channels, such as direct mail, email, and online.
