Technology and people are inseparable today. That seems obvious, of course. We’re all so accustomed to the myriad of ways technology influences our day-to-day existence that it’s become second nature to us. But as obvious as it seems, when it comes to nonprofits, the impact of technology on fundraising has remained elusive.

That gap is notable, considering how deeply technology is woven into our lives. After all, donors are people (and consumers). They’re active participants in digital networks of all kinds. From personal interactions on social networks to keeping up with the news, downloading music, watching a movie, buying a book, even purchasing a car, they move seamlessly between digital channels of all kinds.

In fact, the evidence shows that donors turn to technology in the act of giving to causes they care about as much as they do in other parts of their lives:

• Some 75% of donors use social media, with one out of four donors saying it inspires giving.
• Around 62% report that, of all the social channels, Facebook inspires them the most when it comes to giving.
• Online giving is preferred by 61% of donors, with 54% participating in a “sustainer program.”
• 44% have donated to a crowdfunding campaign within the last 12 months.

Clearly, there is a substantial opportunity for NPOs to tap into the widespread use of technology by today’s donors. This has profound implications for how the nonprofit world must interact with donors if they want to build a growing, sustainable organization.

Change Isn’t Easy

This isn’t to suggest there aren’t hurdles to be overcome. Many nonprofits continue to rely on legacy systems that weren’t designed with today’s donors in mind. For example, these systems aren’t cloud-based and aren’t as easily accessible. They usually comprise tools that are not integrated, and for that reason can't work closely with your CRM. Moving to systems designed for today’s donors, thereby ensuring a holistic view of your donors, may well require replacing these older systems, as well as your practices overall. This can present NPOs with major challenges.

The Right Solution for You 

At the end of the day, incorporating donors’ unprecedented use of technology in donor relations boils down to having the right tools in place and knowing how to put them to use. This is the path to using data more effectively in the donor lifecycle. iDonate designed its Donor Fundraising Platform (DFP) to enable just that.

It provides the technology platform that NPOs can employ to build lasting relationships with donors, accelerate conversion rates, and support a foundation for long-term sustainability. I invite you to learn more about our DFP solution for nonprofits.