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Live From AFP: 6 In 10 Charities Raised More Funds in 2013

San Antonio, Texas – Some 62 percent of charities raised more funds in 2013 than they did in 2012, according to the Nonprofit Research Collaborative’s Year-End 2013 Fundraising Survey, released yesterday during the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ 51st International Conference on Fundraising.

The finding is part of a larger trend of increasing giving, as a year ago, just 58 percent raised more funds. This year’s result of 62 percent is the highest since 2007, before the global recession.

In addition, 67 percent of organizations surveyed met their fundraising goals, also the highest since the recession.

“These are very good numbers and represent a trend we’ve see over the past few years with giving growing slowly but surely,” said Andrew Watt, FInstF, President and CEO of Association of Fundraising Professionals, a sponsor of the NRC. “The real positive is that charities reported strong growth in a variety of different fundraising approaches, including major gifts, special events and online giving. Those are very good indicators of a stronger economy and donors being more confident in their economic situation and ability to give.”

The NRC surveys hundreds of organizations and asks about specific fundraising methods as well as whether organizations met their goals and what they predict for 2014.  Other key findings for 2013 include:

  • The four regions of the United States saw relatively similar increases in funds raised, with the South reporting just slightly higher than the other regions: South (68 percent), Northeast (64 percent), and Midwest and West (both at 63 percent).
  • However, among Canadian respondents, significantly fewer (52 percent) reported growth in funds raised in 2013 compared with 2012.
  • All subsectors, with the exception of Religion and Arts, Culture and Humanities, saw at least 60 percent of their organizations raise more money. In contrast, just 52 percent of organizations in the Religion and Arts categories raised more money in 2013 than in 2012.

“The economy plays a role in people’s willingness to give, but fundraising professionals must be prepared to make a case for giving, informing donors of the potential impact of their investments,” said Eva E. Aldrich, CFRE, President and CEO of CFRE International, also a sponsor of the NRC.  “The NRC Survey asked organizations what helped improve fundraising results. About 20 percent specifically said something about good fundraising practices, including activities such as cultivation and stewardship, which underscore the importance of valuing the donor relationship.”

The Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC) conducts surveys two times a year. The current report and prior reports from the NRC are available at www.NPResearch.org effective March 23, 2014.

This survey was conducted online in February 2014 about fundraising results in 2013 compared with 2012. The respondents form a convenience sample. There is no margin of error, as it is not a random sample of the population studied. Reported results are statistically significant using chi-square analysis.

NRC members have direct experience collecting information from nonprofits concerning charitable receipts, fundraising practices, and/or grantmaking activities. NRC partners are the Association of Fundraising Professionals; CFRE International; Campbell Rinker; Giving USA Foundation; the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning; and the National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute.