Resource ThuRsday #5: Infographic Fave #3

NTEN 2013 Benchmarks Study

This infographic came ArtSpark’s way just yesterday via a fave blogger for all things tech and nonprofit, including the arts:  thank you Beth Kanter.

The infographic is from NTEN’s (Nonprofit Technology Network) “2013 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study,” and demonstrates some key nonprofit trends:

1. Online revenue for nonprofits is growing, up 21% compared to the 2011 NTEN study.
2. Monthly giving is WAY UP (+43%), proving itself to be one of the best sources of reliable revenue/giving.
3. Social media presence for organizations has increased dramatically, and significantly faster compared to email lists:  the study showed a 46% median increase in Facebook fans in 2012, and a 264% increase in Twitter followers (!!).  However, Facebook continues to be the larger social media presence for most groups.
4. On the negative side, while email lists grew, particularly for small organizations, email response rates and click through rates were down, and even more so for fundraising.

What does this NTEN Benchmark Study really mean?  First, online fundraising is here to stay, but it’s also slow to grow (although it’d be interesting to see comparisons, say, between Baby Boomer and Millennial donors).  Second, social media is being widely adopted, yet how does social media presence translate into fundraising and true community engagement (e.g., how many of your organization’s Facebook friends are committed to you by participating in events, engaging others and donating?).  And, finally, the arts were not separated out in the study, so results from that sector might have been similar or different… too bad the arts was overlooked.

Check out this exhaustive study and download it (plus the cool infographic) via this NTEN link.  What are your idea/thoughts/experiences?  Please share!