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Online Giving Trends

March 16, 2018 | Read Time: 3 minutes


This article previously contained incorrect data for February 2018. That data has been removed and has been updated with the correct information.

Follow important developments in online fundraising with our data dashboard. See which causes have raised the most, which parts of the country have contributed the most, how the frequency of giving correlates with amount given, and more.

This information has been compiled from millions of online donations made through Network for Good, the online-giving platform, and can help your organization benchmark its efforts against similar groups and find insights into donors in your region.

Presented in partnership with

Last updated
March 01, 2018
Rolling 13-month totals
1,540,916
donors
2,662,331
donations
$313,195,630
donated
35,430
nonprofit organizations

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How February 2018 compared to February 2017

Comparing the same month year-over-year is an easy way to spot trends. Comparing different times of year can be misleading due to seasonal changes. In February 2018, donors gave 2.3% less than in February 2017 but made 0.2% fewer individual donations.

Number of donors
+ 0.1%
Number of donations
-0.2%
Amount donated
-2.3%
Number of nonprofits
-0.5%

When donors gave the most

December was the most popular month. Contributions in the past year peaked on New Year’s Eve at $14,399,454. Donations were strong on Giving Tuesday (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving) as well. Donors gave the least — $236,373 — on 07/09/17. Click the second button to see that the number of donations was more evenly distributed throughout the year than the amount was.

By dollars
By number of donations

Hover over a day slice to see more information.

Click a day slice to see more information.

FebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberJanuary 2018February

How often and how much donors gave

Donors who gave 55 to 59 times a year donated a median of $2,010 over the year, more than any other group. About 95.1% of donors gave fewer than 5 times a year, but their gifts represented 79.4% of the total. The third button reveals the inverse relationship between the frequency of donations and the total amount given.

By donation amount
By number of donors
By total amount donated

Hover over a bar to see more information.

Click a bar to see more information.

1-45-910-1415-1920-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-59Number of donations$0$200$400$600$800$1,000$1,200$1,400$1,600$1,800$2,000Median yearly giving per donorMaximum: $2,010

NOTE: A logarithmic scale was used for the number of donors and the total amount donated to accommodate the large range of values.

Most popular causes

Human Services groups received far more donations than any other cause — 735,735 gifts totaling $89,039,578. Education came in second, with 303,819 contributions totaling $45,434,131. Viewing the data by median donation shows that gifts in amounts of $25 and $50 were the most common.

By number of donations
By median donation
By total donated

Hover over a bar to see more information.

Click a bar to see more information.

0100k200k300k400k500k600k700kNumber of donationsMutual & Membership BenefitScience & TechnologySocial ScienceEmploymentRecreation & SportsMental Health & Crisis InterventionMedical ResearchCrime & Legal-RelatedEnvironmentCommunity Improvement & Capacity BuildingReligion-RelatedPublic Safety, Disaster Preparedness & ReliefHousing & ShelterPublic & Societal BenefitArts, Culture & HumanitiesVoluntary Health Associations & Medical DisciplinesFood, Agriculture & NutritionCivil Rights, Social Action & AdvocacyInternational, Foreign Affairs & National SecurityPhilanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking FoundationsYouth DevelopmentEducationAnimal-RelatedHealth CareHuman Services


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About the Authors

Senior Editor

Eden Stiffman is a senior editor and writer who covers nonprofit impact, accountability, and trends across philanthropy. She writes frequently about how technology is transforming the ways nonprofits and donors pursue results, and she profiles leaders shaping the field.

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