Razoo is an online fundraising platform that, according to its website, has raised over $42m. And a quick look tells us a fair number of Jewish and Israeli organizations are utilizing their services to accept donations online. Two weeks ago, during the peak week for online donations, we had several people who live in Israel contact us to indicate they could not donate through Razoo's platform as Israel was not an option listed on their country list (see above). We contacted Razoo, who responded: Due to high rates of fraud, we do not accept donations from cardholders in the following countries: Israel, Ukraine, Indonesia, Serbia, Lithuania, Egypt, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Nigeria and Ghana. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes for you and the … Continue Reading
Direct Mail a Critical Driver of Online Giving
More than twice as many online donors say they were prompted to give an online gift in response to a direct mail appeal compared to when they received an e-appeal, according to a national Dunham+Company study recently conducted by research firm Campbell Rinker. In a surprising finding, 14% said that a direct mail letter prompted them to give online versus only 6% who said an email prompted their online gift. Further underlining the importance of direct mail to motivate online giving, 1 in 3 donors (37%) who give online say that when they receive a direct mail appeal from a charity they use the charity’s website to give their donation. The younger the donor, the more likely they are to use a charity’s website to respond to a direct mail appeal. One in two (50%) of generation X or Y donors … Continue Reading
Online Donations Up Sharply for 2010
Some early numbers on the quickly growing world of online donations from three major systems providers: Convio reports a more than 40% increase in donation dollars for 2010. That follows a 34% rise in 2009. Blackbaud, after reporting meaningful increases every month (scroll-down right side-bar), reported a 10% increase during December. Network for Good says the number of donations processed was up 20% for 2010. We'll have more over the next few weeks. … Continue Reading
JGooders Closing Down
JGooders, a ground-breaking online initiative launched to great fanfare at the 2008 GA, has announced it is formally closing down next week. As we wrote back in May, JGooders, while continuing to receive and process donations, was undergoing a reorganization. Unfortunately for the philanthropic community, that reorganization is now leading to closure. When launched, JGooders founder Ronit Dolev told us, JGooders is yet another attempt to make a quantum leap: to provide added meaning by developing a global network of Jews and Israelis involved in the third sector (the not for profit organizations). This is where we all meet to do good, to give back to our communities, to introduce change, to improve lives, to care for each other, to strengthen the weaker parts of our society, our people, to … Continue Reading
Double-digit Growth Continues for Online Fundraising
The Blackbaud Index, which was updated today, is reporting that in October, overall giving was up 4.9% over 2009 and online giving was up 16.2%. The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving launched in June 2010 and was followed by the release of The Blackbaud Index of Online Giving in July. These indices are updated on the 15th of each month and are based on a three-month moving average of year-over-year percent changes in revenue. They represent the most comprehensive and timely sources of charitable giving available. … Continue Reading
Fundraising Association Introduces Wise Giving Website
The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has unveiled its new wise giving website, Change the World With a Giving-and Wise-Heart. The site is designed to help donors think proactively about philanthropy and how they want to improve their communities through giving and volunteering. The website contains a variety of information on how donors can make smart choices in their philanthropy, including guidance such as The Five P's of Wise Giving and 25 Ways to Make Your Gifts Go Further. Donors can learn about different ways they can support charities, such as through matching gifts, payroll giving, giving circles, online games and click-a-day websites, credit card points and even regifting. Another important focus of the site is wise giving and being able to spot legitimate organizations. … Continue Reading
Apple Bans Donations from iPhone Apps
from The New York Times: Donations Ban on iPhone Apps Irritates Nonprofits The nonprofit world is stewing over the ban Apple has put on making donations on the iPhone via charity apps. No one, including Apple, has data on how many nonprofits have created apps for the iPhone. Organizations like the Monterey Bay Aquarium and American Cancer Society have them, but none can be used to make gifts. Prospective donors instead are directed out of a nonprofit’s app and to its Web site, which the organizations say makes the process of contributing more cumbersome. … Continue Reading
The Online Giving Study
Our friends over at Network for Good have released a new study on online giving. This isn’t just another study about the rapid growth of online giving - it’s a call to reinvent donor relationships. Partnering with TrueSense Marketing, the study examines the online giving experience not only on nonprofits’ websites, but also via donation portals and social networks, and finds it is directly tied to donors’ likelihood of giving more - and more often. Key findings include: Fundraising is still about relationships. Just as the strength of the donor-charity relationship heavily influences offline giving, the online giving experience has a significant impact on donor loyalty, retention, and gift levels. Small improvements to the online experience can make a big difference in … Continue Reading
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