Survey: Donors prefer online giving

Online giving through a credit card or debit card is the preferred method of giving by donors worldwide, consistently near 50% or more, regardless of generation, size of gift or geography.

The Global Trends in Giving Report shows that more than half of donors worldwide (54%) said they prefer to give online with a credit card or debit card and it was the preferred option by a wide margin. No other option was preferred by more than about 1 out of 10 donors:

• 11%, direct mail/post
• 11%, cash
• 10%, bank/wire transfer
• 9%, PayPal
• 4%, mobile app/wallet
• 1%, text message

The preferred method of online giving was consistent across Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers. Online giving by credit or debit also was fairly consistent across gift sizes, ranging from 45% for major donors ($10,000 or more) to 57% among small donors ($101 to $1,000). By geography, online giving was still the preferred method by almost half of donors but lowest in South America and Europe (46%).

The second edition was based upon a survey of more than 6,000 donors worldwide, conducted and promoted entirely online between April 23 and June 30. Results only represent views of respondents who read Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish; have Internet access; and use email and/or social media. The report examines the impact of gender, generation, ideology, religion, and donor size upon giving and volunteerism, summarizing “donor data across six continents about how online and mobile technology effects giving.”

The preferred method of being thanked for a gift was, by far, email, with almost 7 out of 10 donors. About 14% of donors preferred a print letter while the remaining options all registered less than 10%:

• 6%, text message
• 5%, print postcard
• 4%, social media message
• 2%, phone call

Only about 1 in 5 donors are more likely to give if they are offered a gift. About 68% of those who responded said they view it as a waste of money while 36% said they don’t need or want a gift. About 6% cited the environmental impact of the gift.

Almost half of donors worldwide (45%) are enrolled in a monthly giving program. About 40% of Millennials were enrolled in monthly giving compared with 49% of Generation X and Boomers.

Social media (29%) and email (27%) were the communication tool that most inspires giving, according to donors. A website (18%) and print (12%) were less likely to inspire giving, followed by a television ad (6%), phone call (3%) and a radio ad (3%). Rounding out the bottom of the list were messaging apps and a text message (1% each).

When it comes to specific social media, more than half of donors (56%) cited Facebook as the channel that most inspires giving. About 1 in 5 pointed to Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, followed by Twitter at 13%. YouTube was cited by 6% of donors and LinkedIn by 4%, followed by WhatsApp, 2% and Google+, 1%. Other channels all registered less than 1%, including Pinterest, Reddit and Tumblr.