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Survey: Social Fundraising Not As Easy As It Seems

Peer recruitment is critical to social fundraising with participants driven by a connection to the mission and enjoyment. And yet, a majority of fundraisers admit to having difficulty asking for money and motivating people to give.

First-time participants for a cause fall short of their fundraising goal 40 percent of the time and just short of half (49 percent) of first-time participants say they are very likely to fundraise again. Peer-to-peer participants are typically habitual fundraisers, with 85 percent saying they fundraise at least once a year but not necessarily for the same cause.

Some 41 percent of participants surveyed reported fundraising on behalf of nonprofits more than once a year, with 44 percent participating in a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign annually.

Those are among the results of a national, online survey of 1,106 social fundraisers conducted by Edge Research July 11 to 26 for the fundraising firm OneCause. Social fundraisers were defined as anyone who has fundraised for at least one charitable organization by participating in a run/walk/ride, virtual challenge, occasion fundraiser, crowdfunding campaign, or by organizing or sponsoring an event within the previous 12 months. Data is self-reported, not transactional.

The habit of annual fundraising is a top motivator for participants, with 51 percent saying they fundraise because, “It’s something I do every year,” according to survey results. Tracking group progress and donation notifications are powerful motivators. Every generational segment finds being part of a team highly motivating. Younger generations (Gen Z and Millennials) are also more likely to be motivated by activity-based rewards, while Boomers are least likely to be motivated by contests, the survey results show.

Difficulty asking for money and motivating people to give are top challenges with 69 percent of participants surveyed responding they faced challenges. Younger generations are twice as likely to say fundraising tools and software are difficult to use. Mobile engagement is essential to the participant experience. Participants are most likely accessing their participant page on a mobile device. Texting is also a top preferred method for continued communication post-campaign.

All of the survey results can be downloaded at: https://bit.ly/2N1iTT1