Are more donations just a “click” away for your nonprofit?

Robert Peticolas is just one of the many individuals who find it easy and rewarding to give on-line.  Increasingly, Bob is using on-line giving platforms to find nonprofits to support rather than relying on solicitations mailed to his home.  And he is not alone. 

Donating online is a growing trend (see PJ April 9, 2012; PJ March 12, 2012) that benefits nonprofits, large and small. In addition to making it easy for donors to "click to give," having an online presence can dramatically expand a nonprofit's donor base by increasing "the reach for fund-raising across traditional geographical boundaries" (Shier and Handy, 2012).  

Organizations that don't have the resources to manage their own online donation programs can contract with an online giving platform (e.g., BetterPlace.org, JustGive.org, Network for Good).  These organizations, which (for a fee) manage the technical issues for multiple client organizations, have seen substantial growth in the amount of donations that they process.

For example, writing for USA Today, Vanderkam (2010) reported growth between 2004 and 2008:
From $194,379 to $2.7 million at Modest Needs
From $508,653 to $7.4 million at GlobalGiving
From $2.8 to $18 million at DonorsChooose.org

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