Blog

By E. Dale Berkey, Ph.D.
President, BBS & Associates

You’re reading the same troubling news your donors are — high inflation, economic uncertainty, and more.

But do you know how they’re reacting? And — specifically — do you know how their feelings about these national (and even global!) concerns are impacting the way they’ll be giving?

Trying to figure out where your donors stand and forecast the impact on your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts can feel like an exercise in mind-reading.

But there is a way to avoid the guessing games and gain clarity on the mindset of donors in 2023, insights on how that’s likely to impact charities like yours, and actionable recommendations for what you can do to encourage their generosity no matter what the headlines say.

How? By downloading BBS & Associates’ just-released May 2023 Donor Confidence Report — our nationwide survey of donors — available to you free of charge!

Here’s just a sampling of what you’ll find inside …

Donor Insights You’ll be Glad to Know

Yes, the headlines paint a bleak picture of the future. But there’s also plenty of good news you won’t see reported anywhere else:

• Boomer and older donors were significantly more likely than younger donors to say they would be giving the same as last year (71% vs. 53% for Gen-X and 44% for Millennials).
• Half of donors — 49% — now feel inflation will have a somewhat or strongly negative impact on their annual charitable giving, compared to 56% in July 2022.
• Donors generally want to give more than they did last year. 22% expect to give more in 2023 than in 2022. This is a slight uptick from the 18% seen in mid-2022.

Some Concerns Nonprofits Need to Beware Of

Inside the Donor Confidence Report, you’ll also discover some potential pain points to take into consideration as you hone your 2023 fundraising strategy, such as:

• 1 in 7 donors felt as if their finances would worsen in the coming year.
• 6 in 10 donors gave to causes in the last three months of 2022 (61%, an 18-point drop from 79% in the same period of 2021).
• 53% of donors said they would be somewhat or very likely to give less in 2023 because of an increase in food and housing prices. Behind this factor was the impact on giving of an increase in gas prices at 44% overall.

Download the Full Donor Confidence Report

And that’s not all! You’ll find even more insightful and actionable findings in the full Donor Confidence Report — including critical revelations like:

• How inflation and the “up and down” economy have affected donors’ personal finances.
• Whether donors are planning to give more or less in 2023 compared to 2022.
• The ways a donor’s age, income, political affiliation, and/or faith may impact her commitment to continued giving.
• If donors are giving to newer charities.
• And more!

Plus, you’ll receive useful recommendations from our experts on how you and your organization can factor these findings into your fundraising strategy and connect with donors throughout the rest of 2023.

Download the full Donor Confidence Report now!

For additional donor-focused insights like these, please visit https://www.servantheart.com/resources/ or reach out to Jared Matthews via jmatthews@servantheart.com or 330.576.1162.