US Online Giving Report
9 August 2005 at 1:08 pm
Online donations in the U.S. in 2004 exceeded $US3 billion – up 58 percent from $1.9 billion in 2003 – and includes Tsunami giving, according to a recent study by a US technology provider Kintera Inc. and Luth Research Inc., a veteran online market research firm.
The survey results indicate that more than 8.6 million U.S. households gave online donations in 2004.
Results also show that more than 65 percent of all donors visit at least one of the websites of the Not for Profit organisations or fundraising events to which they give.
The report is based on a total of 3,142 responses from two surveys administered in March and April 2005.
Both surveys featured five questions – the first received 1,543 responses and the second received 1,599 responses.
Other noteworthy results from the 2005 Kintera/Luth Nonprofit Trend Report include:
– On average, online givers donate in total (both online and offline) more than 50 percent more than those donors who do not give online.
– More than 12 percent of all donating households in 2004 made some online donations.
– More than 75 percent of donors who go online before making a donation noted that going online made some impact on their decision whether or not to give, and more than 25 percent said the impact was significant.
– Approximately 35 percent of all online donors gave at least half of their donation amount online; 22 percent of all online donors gave all of their donations online. This means that approximately 3 percent of all donors in 2004 gave all their donations online.
The report says the Tsunami may have accounted for $200 million of the total online giving in 2004.
However it concludes that the vast majority is due to donors’ acceptance of the Internet as an immediate, convenient, and safe way to give.
Roseanne Luth, the CEO of Luth Research/Luth Research Online says the fact that online giving has increased by more than 50 percent this past year confirms that those who experience online giving are finding it a preferred alternative to traditional giving of charitable donations.
The study also confirms what others have consistently shown – donors who give online give in total (online and offline) more than donors who do not donate online.
Online giving is increasing across all sectors of the Not for Profit community.
The Kintera/Luth Nonprofit Trend Report can be downloaded free by clicking on: http://www.kintera.org/Kintera-LuthReport2005.