Invest more in digital to stay ahead, BT survey suggests
Howard Lake | 4 July 2012 | News
Although nine out of 10 charities now invest in digital, more than 80% of those spent less than £10,000 in the last year.
Those that do not invest are convinced the set up costs are prohibitive, the survey found. Understanding donor behaviour in a digital age, published by the Institute of Fundraising and sponsored by BT’s MyDonate, which surveyed 258 fundraising directors and the Institute’s wider membership, found that a large proportion think that digital is not the way to engage with their donors. Those who do invest, however, have seen a marked increase in online giving with only four per cent reporting a drop.
Interestingly those who have seen an increase in online giving have seen it across all age groups. Older people tend to give higher gifts but all age groups are more likely to give if they are made more aware of the charity’s work. Older people are more concerned about security online, but this is less of a worry for younger generations, who are more likely to be attracted by a tailored Facebook page.
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BT is celebrating the first anniversary of MyDonate, which is free to charities and donors alike, and says it has seen a relatively high take-up of giving by text in the last year.
Full results from the survey are available at
www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/newsroom/latest-news/charities-must-prioritise-investment-in-digital-to-stay-ahead/
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.