By Jared Matthews
Strategy and Research Manager, BBS & Associates
New donors are the lifeblood of your ministry, but for more than a decade, the number of committed and engaged new donors in America has been on a downward trend.
For the health and well-being of dedicated ministries like yours, BBS & Associates is asking why.
We commissioned a strategic national “New Donor Study” conducted by trusted research firm Campbell Rinker.
Our goal? To gain a better understanding of why Christian donors give, or decide not to give, to a new charity — and uncover any emerging patterns and preferences along the way.
The results were eye-opening. We’d be thrilled to share them with you.
Key findings include:
- Practicing Christians — those who attended church monthly or more often and placed ‘considerable’ or ‘utmost’ importance on faith — were significantly more likely than Nominal Christians to consider supporting a charity that was new to them (66% vs. 38%).
- Average annual giving is two times higher for Boomers+ over younger donors overall.
- Boomers+ were three times likelier than Gen X, and nearly twice as likely as Millennials and Get Z, to support five or more charities.
- Several featuresof a nonprofit appeal dominate the ratings and make ministries that have these features more compelling:
- Helping people
- Showing visible results
- Having a positive reputation
- Being genuine
- Demonstrating success
- Four in 10 donors who considered giving to a new cause in 2023 did not, followed by 30% who did so just once.
- Regardless of cohort, a $50 ask amount was expected among respondents and was also the amount modeled to produce the optimal response.
- Two-thirds of donors said they paid attention to direct mail letters.
- Ads on websites got more attention than ads in search results.
- Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) received the most attention from donors overall.
- After giving a first gift, most donors said they might give again to the charity based on how the charity followed up.
You’ll discover more in our full report … including a list of six recommendations for you and your organization on how to best connect with, and communicate to, new donors.
If you have questions about the study or would like to receive a free copy of the full report, please don’t hesitate to contact me at jmatthews@servantheart.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
