The struggling economy hit nonprofits hard in the first quarter of 2009. According to the latest Target Analytics Index of National Fundraising Performance, the number of new donors dropped by almost 13%, as compared to 2008.

The Target Analytics Quarterly Index of National Fundraising Performance compares trends for key fundraising indicators among 79 organizations, including over 35 million donors and more than 66 million gifts totaling almost $2 billion in revenue.

Key metrics include:

• The median average gift was $38 in Q1 2009.
• The median revenue per donor was $47.
• The median average gift decreased by 2.4%
• Retention rates decreased by a median 1%.
• Reactivation rates fell by 6.5% compared to Q1 2008.

You can download the summary of findings and list of participating nonprofits that submitted data for the Index by following this link: 2009 First Calendar Quarter Results.