Internal score keeping shows that dollars raised, donor retention and donor engagement are the top three key performance indicators (KPIs) fundraisers use to measure overall success. And, slightly more than one-third (35.9%) of fundraisers surveyed consider upgrading a donor to be an indicator of success.
With organizations relying more on larger donors, data in a new survey via fundraising platform Gravity shows major gifts officers make up 43% of fundraisers at the 160 organizations responding. The category also leads the expected new hires. However, with the spotlight on digital, just 11% of the organizations reporting having a digital gift officer/digital experience officer and it is the next to last lowest priority for new hires, barely squeaking by annual giving officers.
And just like others positions in the nonprofit sector, staffing, turnover and resource limitations are top challenges for fundraising teams.
Donor engagement is a top priority to achieve goals in 2024, with fundraisers reaching out to donors an average of five times per year and tapping into multiple channels such as text and video.
The majority of gift officers assign new donors to portfolios quarterly and make at least three contact attempts before removing a prospect from the portfolio.
Nearly half of respondents use text (45%) and video (41%) to engage donors but leading the pack are email (94%), phone at 82% and direct mail at 75%. Social media ekes into the picture at 51%.
According to respondents, the top five priorities for 2024 include:
* Hiring key fundraising and leadership roles;
* Omnichannel engagement, including text, social media, email and video;
* Innovation, such as AI and predictive modeling; and,
* Streamlining technology, consolidating vendors and workflow automation; and,
* Improving retention through personalized outreach and stewardship
The respondents were: 32% executive and administrative; 27% advancement and development; 24% alumni relations and annual giving; 9% data and analytics; and, 8% philanthropy and planned giving. The majority of respondents (59%) were in higher education, with 28% at nonprofits and 13% at K through 12 schools.
To see the full data in the Donor Engagement Benchmark Report, go to www.gravity.com
