Blackbaud Charitable Giving Report Shows Four Percent Giving Growth in 2017

The latest report from Blackbaud, based on analyzing trends from nearly $30 billion in fundraising revenue in 2017, found that overall giving increased by 4.1 during the year, a substantial jump compared to relatively flat growth in 2017.

The 2017 Charitable Giving Report found that a strong stock market, spikes in giving in response to political issues, and the continued shift to digital giving all influenced giving in 2017. This growth was also fueled by a 5.1% increase in giving during the final three months of 2017.

According to the report, international affairs organizations had the largest growth in overall fundraising and faith-based organizations experienced the largest growth in online giving in 2017 compared to 2016. Only arts and culture and K–12 education institutions experienced minimal year-over-year declines in overall fundraising, and all sectors had growth in their online giving programs in 2017.

Overall giving to small organizations grew by 4.2%, medium organizations increased 3.9% and large organizations experienced the most growth at 4.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Online Giving

Online giving to small nonprofits grew 10.7%, medium organizations grew 14.9% and large organizations grew by 11.0%.

Overall online giving grew by 12.1%. Faith-Based nonprofits grew their online giving the most with an 18.1% year-over-year growth rate. Environment and Animal Welfare, Arts and Culture, and Public and Society Benefit organizations also had very strong online giving growth in 2017 compared to 2016. Unlike 2016, all sectors experienced growth in their online giving programs. Medical Research and International Affairs rebounded from online giving declines in 2016 to post year-over- year growth in 2017. Online giving continues to grow as donors shift in age and other demographics.

Other key findings from the Blackbaud Institute Charitable Giving Report:

• Online donations made up 7.6% of all fundraising in 2017
• #GivingTuesday online donations were up 28% in 2017
• 21% of online donations were made on a mobile device in 2017

“Trends in the 2017 Charitable Giving Report show very positive signs for the emergence of digital and mobile giving,” said Steve MacLaughlin, Blackbaud’s vice president of data and analytics and senior advisor to the Blackbaud Institute. “Organizations that commit to reaching their supporters through the right channels at the right time will find continued success in these rapidly evolving times.”

The report includes overall giving data from 8,453 organizations representing $29.7 billion in total fundraising from 2017. The report also includes online giving data from 5,709 organizations representing $3.1 billion in online fundraising from 2017.

To view more charitable giving trends, statistics on retention, donor characteristics and average donation amounts, download the report at www.blackbaudinstitute.com/charitablegiving.