June 23, 2013 | Read Time: 1 minute
Online donors are giving more—and making bigger gifts—than at any time in the past, a Chronicle analysis of more than 22.6 million online gifts in 2012 shows.
Online giving rose by 14 percent in 2012, according to a review of gifts made to more than 115,000 U.S. charities through the online-payment processors Blackbaud, Network for Good, and PayPal. Donors gave more than $2.1-billion online to these charities, up from nearly $1.9-billion the previous year.
Some of the biggest gains came at the end of the year. Giving increased by 17.2 percent during the fourth quarter of 2012, fueled in part by the response to Hurricane Sandy and Giving Tuesday, an effort to promote online giving during the holiday season. In November alone, online giving grew by 24.4 percent.
The analysis also found:
- The vast majority of money raised online comes during the workweek. Saturdays and Sundays account for only 13 percent of the total raised.
- While December is by far the most active month for online donations, accounting for 19 percent of all gifts, $1 in $5 raised in 2012 came in April and May.
- Residents in the District of Columbia give the most online per capita: $11.11. Oklahoma residents were the next closest, at $4.89. Mississippi residents gave the least per capita, 77 cents.
You can view a table of giving by month or explore giving by hour, day of the week, or by location using our interactive dashboard.
