(image from https://bonterratech.com)
Persistence pays off in fundraising, whether it is an application to a funder or via outreach to an individual donor. On average, it takes just 1.24 applications to secure a gift. Fundraisers who persist and apply for more grants, even after rejection, raise more overall with 52% of reapplicants ultimately receiving funding.
And when it comes to funding after a disaster, it might be too late for the best results.
That’s some of the data from analysis of more than 162 million donations across the Bonterra fundraising platform are reported in its 2025 Impact Report. Those on the platform raised $28 billion which directly or indirectly supported 437,000 organizations, engaged 53 million donors, and distributed $8.5 billion in grants. The platform is used by both nonprofits and for-profits, the latter being for workplace giving campaigns, according to an announcement from the firm.
When adding in the value of volunteers, the Bonterra data shows giving and volunteering at 2.5% of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP). That’s more than the generally acknowledged 2% of GDP from the annual “Giving USA” numbers. Bonterra began with the widely accepted 2% baseline but because the company is focused on all forms of social good participation, not just monetary donations, the value of volunteerism was factored into the numbers.
The intent is to work toward a combined 3% of GDP, according to a spokesperson for Bonterra.
When a crisis occurs, whether it be a natural disaster or a court ruling, people are moved to support. It’s a moment when communities turn to nonprofits and their institutions, asking them to help them help others. The challenge is that an organization is thrown into competition with others if there isn’t a preexisting relationship.
Data from the Bonterra platform showed that local nonprofits saw an average 5,170% increase in total donations per day around the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which for all intents and purposes ended the constitutional right to an abortion. Similarly, Black Lives Matter (BLM) nonprofits saw an average 7,190% surge in the total number of donations when major social justice milestones occurred, compared to regular days.
A prior relationship means donors trust an organization. However, nonprofit executives are not nurturing the people who most trust the organization, its volunteers, according to Scott Brighton, CEO of Bonterra.
Volunteers are most often treated separately from donors, Brighton said, and that is a missed opportunity. Being on different system makes it difficult to convert volunteers to donors. A person might start as a volunteer but can be converted to a donor even starting with small gifts, he said. It is often the same things that keep both donors and volunteers engaged with the organization.
Another thing that recurring donors and volunteers share is trust in the organization. Trust is the most prized asset in the nonprofit impact space, according to Brighton. The data shows that trust unlocks greater support over longer periods of time. And while trust in nonprofits has rebounded by five points after four years of decline, it remains low at 57%, according to data from a 2024 study by Independent Sector and Edelman Data & Intelligence.
No one knows the precise formula for trust, but it starts with three key building blocks: listening to needs, being transparent, and following through on what you said you’d do, according to Brighton.
A key to growing philanthropy is using technology, such as Agentic AI, to automate work and develop insight to the available data. Agentic AI, also known as autonomous AI, focuses on creating systems capable of making decisions and acting without constant human intervention. They have been called “digital employees.”
Among the familiar technames under the Bonterra umbrella are CyberGrants, EveryAction, Network for Good, and Social Solutions. To see the full 44-page report, go to www.bonterratech.com
