How The Chronicle Compiled Its Survey of Online Giving to Big Charities

The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 12th annual survey of online fund raising collected data from 143 of the largest nonprofit organizations in the United States.

Groups that were surveyed appear on The Chronicle’s Philanthropy 400 ranking of organizations that raise the most from private sources.

In 2010, 140 charities that provided data for the past two years raised $1.35-billion online, an increase of 52 percent from the $887-million those groups raised online in 2009.

Much of the increase—at least $148-million—was the result of giving in response to the earthquake that struck Haiti in January.

When Haiti gifts are excluded from the giving figures, the total raised online in 2010 was 34 percent higher than the 2009 total.

So far in 2011, online gifts to charities in the survey are doing better than in 2010. Nearly two-thirds of charities reported that their online donations are faring better, while 22 percent said they are lower, and 18 percent said they are about the same.

For organizations with national offices and affiliates, The Chronicle sought consolidated financial information, but many of the organizations were able to provide data solely for their national offices.

Also, The Chronicle’s survey includes information only for the American affiliates of nonprofit groups, even though some charities included in the survey also have overseas affiliates.

A searchable database of information from the survey, plus data from previous years’ surveys and additional tables, are available here.

The survey of online fund raising was compiled by Noelle Barton, Peter Bolton, and Marisa López-Rivera.