Online giving is continuing to grow, but a recent study suggests donors don’t always like to give large amounts online. According to a survey by Community Brands, $300 is the average amount that donors are comfortable giving online. Should this fact affect how we approach donors online?
The short answer: no. Nonprofits should not get hung up on what age group gives online or doesn’t give online, nor should they be concerned with how much donors give online.
This is somewhat of a fool’s errand because, regardless of the current stats, the trends and behaviors will constantly change. And, more importantly, the trend occurring across all demographics is that people are feeling more and more comfortable spending a lot of money online. Even though millennials have a small edge over the older crowd, that will change as online giving continues to become the norm.
In fact, many people don’t even have a checking account. They conduct transactions with a debit or credit card, PayPal, or even use Venmo or a similar app. Overall, there is no doubt that everyone, regardless of age, is migrating their giving and purchasing to online transactions. The trend won’t slow down. Just like retailers and catalogers have found success bridging digital and print media, a nonprofit direct mail fundraising appeal will likely trigger an online donation, even at higher amounts.
Consequently, the idea of switching donations from online to offline with larger donations is not a long-term worry. For perspective, someone that buys an expensive item online doesn’t think, ”Oh no, that’s over $300. Now I have to go to the store and write a check.” It’s the same for donations; if someone wants to give a large donation, they will still give a large donation even if it means going to a website.
Your job is simply to ensure that, whether they’re giving online, over the phone, or by mailing a check, the donation process is simple and easy. As long as that is the case, and you’re treating your donors well, they’ll continue to give.