Recession, market turmoil, troubled economy — these words got a lot of air time in 2009. And rightfully so! We have all felt the impact of the economy over the past year, especially nonprofit organizations that worried about their ability to fundraise in such challenging times. After all, could people afford to give when there was so much uncertainty in their lives and the world around them?

Well, according to the data that appeared in the recently published report, Giving USA 2010: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2009, nonprofits overall did a very good job at weathering the storm. So what can we learn from this report that’s chock full of dollar figures and percentages? Some valuable nuggets of information:

- Total charitable giving was down 3.6 percent in 2009. Although this is noted as the “steepest decline in current dollar terms since Giving USA began its annual reports in 1956,” most people will likely see this outcome as favorable because they were expecting much worse.

- Individual giving was down a mere 0.4 percent. Individuals surprised us with their generosity, opening up their wallets to help others. Sure, the dollar amount of individuals’ donations might have been lower than in the past, but the philanthropic mindset of donors remained intact, even in the face of economic instability.

- Nonprofits in several verticals experienced increases in giving. Health, human services, international affairs and environment/animal-related organizations all noted slight boosts in giving. Some of these higher number could be attributed to donors who wanted to help support those who were most impacted by the recession.

- Giving to education, foundations, public-society benefit organizations, and arts, culture and humanities organizations dropped. The most notable decline was the 8.0 percent drop in giving to foundations.

Of course, it would have been great to have had more favorable results overall, but there is a silver lining to the grey cloud known as 2009. With a brighter outlook ahead, nonprofits - especially those with organized fundraising programs - can hope to bring in even more dollars in 2010.

The data from Giving USA’s report can be used as a benchmark against which nonprofits compare their past performance and as a guide to set goals for the future. When examined in combination with the information provided by the annual Convio Online Marketing Nonprofit Benchmark Index Study, we can gain valuable insight into online giving, which rose 14 percent in 2009.

So, how did your nonprofit stack up to your peers in 2009? And how’s it looking for 2010?

Reprinted from Grizzard, original post by Chip Grizzard on 6/3/2010

Don’t Panic if You Have Not Adjusted to Digital

Most every industry whitepaper, blog post, and trends report points to a similar conclusion.  Single channel direct mail is on the decline and digital fundraising is rapidly increasing. While most seem to point to similar recommendations, there is wide disagreement on how fast this change is going to take place.  I have heard ranges from direct mail will be dead in 5 years to direct mail will never die.

Based on current trends as reported by Target Analytics and Convio, I think the typical organization will (or should) be raising at least 50% of its  revenue from individuals via channels other than direct mail by 2016.  Today, most organizations are less than 10%.   But this takes a commitment and focus to integrating your message across traditional and digital channels.

For organizations that are not investing outside of traditional mail, they are sure to experience a funding gap.  Their direct mail revenue will begin to decline and it will not be offset by online giving fast enough.  The internet’s impact on other industries has not shown to be a linear impact.  As adoption increases, the decline accelerates.

Over the past 10 years, the entire purchase model for catalogers flipped from mailing back an order card to receiving a catalog and placing orders by web or phone.  The exact same thing is happening in fundraising.  Direct mail will still be used as a communication tool, but the method donors choose to respond is and will continue to change.

If your organization is slow to adjust to these new realities, don’t panic.  There is time, but take action now.  It’s an exciting time to be in fundraising, but only for those willing to change their approach.

Multichannel is the word du jour during the NTC conference in Atlanta @10NTC, but what considerations should nonprofits make before launching the next big campaign? Megan Hawkes @CCCINews, Executive Director, Constituent Engagement at Campus Crusade for Christ, International and Dave Raley @daveraley, Director of New Media at Masterworks presented the session Case Studies in Integrated Multichannel Fundraising and did a great job of answering that question in a series of 7 lessons.

Lesson #1: Don’t forget the importance of fundraising fundamentals
Organizations need a good offer, the compelling message, the right audience, and it must be timely and relevant. One of the many great points Dave made was that donors do not give to the need; they give to the impact.  So instead of asking for funds that support your need of shipping medical supplies or purchasing construction materials, focus on the impact of saving millions of lives or providing homes for hundreds of families.

Lesson #2: Pizzazz does not equal integration
Focus on what is useful, powerful and engaging. Sometimes technology can get in the way of good integration if too much emphasis is places on the features. Widgets, Flash animation, and/or abstract creative pieces can get in the way.

Lesson #3: Integrate instead of recreating – synergize what you’re already doing.
Don’t be afraid to reuse creative. Just because you’ve seen it a million times and tired of it doesn’t mean your constituency feels the same way. Once you’ve created the core content each additional piece is easier and more efficient, and actually makes it more impactful. The more times a consistent message gets in front of your audience the better — reinforces brand recognition. They also stressed the importance of integrated teams. If your development team and communication team isn’t on the same page you run the risk of duplicating effort, competing goals and priorities and confusing or diluting your brand and message.

Lesson #4: Not all channels are created equal
They broke down three different types of channels: Response vs influence vs engagement.

• Response channels drive direct measureable response and are proven methods to get results including direct mail, email and telephone.
• Influence channels influence response but not in a directly attributable way such as radio, banner advertising and print.
• Engagement channel are great at engaging and interacting, but less response driven such as social media and customer service.

Lesson #5: Measure results by campaign, not just by channel
In an integrated multichannel campaign, define your primary goal up front and determine which channels will get you there. If you the goal is direct response then your focus will be on the response channels mentioned above and you might put less emphasis on social media since that is more of an engagement mechanism. It’s important to know which channels are providing results, but we can get stuck in the granularity of channel metrics and the bigger goal takes a back seat.

Lesson #6: Use video but test
I’ve heard this statistic multiple times at NTC – YouTube is the second largest search engine next to Google. People love videos, and there has been a shift — we no longer think in words we think in pictures. That being said video does cost time and effort so be sure to test what works for you. Try various formats and styles, test length, test if there is no video at all, do you still get the same results? And an important note, you actually have to promote your video to get it seen.

Lesson #7: Don’t forget about relationships
In any integrated effort you typically have the communications team focused on the relationship and the development team focused on donor value. But the central truth in constituent engagement is you have to be balanced in those efforts to be effective. If your organization is always focused on the ask your risk donor burnout, but conversely if you’re always focused on the relationship and never make the ask, your risk rustout.

I am saddened by the news and images coming from Haiti after the devastating earthquake that hit on January 12. The question on my mind and many of yours is where and how can I help? With a few quick searches on Google and Twitter, there is no shortage of options from tweeting to texting. I've compiled a short list below, and it is by no means complete. Please check back regularly as we will be adding organizations that are providing relief to Haiti. Charity Navigator, the nation's largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities, has a tip sheet for donating during times of crisis that is a great reference when making a decision to give during this tragedy.

You can also follow #haiti #haitiquake #helphaiti #haitirelief on Twitter to find out where to donate or text “haiti” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross for Haiti relief efforts.

Please note: this list is incomplete, and we are regularly updating this post. If you have another resource that you would like listed, please leave a comment or email blog@convio.com and we will make updates accordingly.

Whether personal or professional, New Year’s resolutions represent a fresh start, and are made to help you reach your larger goals. I make resolutions every year, some I keep, some I screw up on January 2, but I find the process of making them refreshing, and it gives me a chance to reflect on what I’ve done well in the past and the things I need to work on in the future.

For organizations, it’s the same exercise but even better, because as you set your 2010 initiatives you have a whole team of people buying in on “resolutions” that will make your more successful in the New Year. For the second year in a row, Convio is hoping you'll share your nonprofit's initiatives or resolutions that will help you achieve goals and become more efficient and effective in 2010. This spurs an interesting dialogue, and provides insight into the needs and challenges that you as nonprofit professionals face every day.  At the Convio Summit a few weeks ago, we asked several of your peers to share their resolutions on camera – check out the below video and I am betting a few of them might ring true for your organization as well.

Join the discussion and share your 2010 resolution at www.convio.com/resolve2010 and pre-register for the Nonprofit Resolutions Guide that will be published in early January. The guide will outline many of the common challenges and needs that nonprofits experience, and will have tips and best practices from industry experts that will help you overcome obstacles and fulfill your resolution.