What Do the Numbers Say About Digital Giving?

The numbers don’t lie.

Digital giving is increasing and is changing the way nonprofits view their total fundraising. Donors themselves are realizing the ease of giving and in turn are beginning to give more through digital.

As the face of good begins to shift, nonprofits who don’t have a clear method of digital giving may be at risk of falling behind. For reasons why nonprofits should look toward the future, let’s look back at some historical metrics.

What are those numbers, and are there any sectors that are growing more than others?

How Much Has Digital Giving Grown?

In a previous post, we talked about the growth of digital giving (20.7% in 2020) and how much of a factor it will remain for 2022. Using the report from Blackbaud,¹ we can drill down a little deeper to find some more incredible numbers for digital giving in 2021.

If we separate the total by nonprofit size, we’ll notice that nonprofits of all sizes are seeing record growth. Large-scale nonprofits with annual fundraising totals of $10 million or more saw the highest growth of online giving growth of 9.8%. Medium-scale nonprofits of up to $10 million grew at 8.7%, and small-scale nonprofits of less than $1 million grew at 3.9%.

Taking those numbers one step further, how about giving over a three-year period? Here, we’ll find sustained growth that nonprofits truly want.

Overall, the three-year giving trend came to a 41.6% increase. Large-scalers grew at 34.7%, medium-scale was the largest at 61.2%, and small-scale came to 31.9%. This three-year trend is further evidenced by the multi-year donor retention rate, which topped out at 64% in 2021.

Which Nonprofit Sector Grew the Most?

Looking at some specific nonprofit subsectors, this immense online growth was seen by almost everyone.

Environment and public and society benefit nonprofits saw 2021 online giving growth of over 20%. Other subsectors in the arts and culture, international affairs, K-12 education, and higher education each saw growth of over 10%.

Again, the three-year trend gives us double-digit growth in eight of the 11 subsectors. Public and society benefit was the highest at 142.3% growth, and environment organizations was next at 58.6%.

How Does All This Affect My Nonprofit?

Putting that deluge of statistics aside, we can sum it all up by saying digital giving has been growing for years and is here to stay. While that may be obvious, making sure your organization is set for digital giving is the next step. Donors are always looking for a simpler, streamlined customer experience. When your nonprofit gives them that feeling of ease, there’s a good chance they’ll leave – and come back – with a positive view.

Here at iDonate, we help you maximize your impact. We have matched the digital giving trends ourselves by helping our customers increase their digital giving by more than 40% over a three-year period. No matter the subsector you are in, our giving platform is set for you to simplify your work and multiply your donations so you can generate more good.

¹ Blackbaud Institute: Online Giving Trends