According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s sixth annual survey of online fund raising, “Online donations to the nation’s largest charities grew sharply in 2004, with many groups receiving at least twice as much money via the Internet as they did in 2003.”
In an article (“A Surge in Online Giving”) in the June 9 edition of the publication, Nicole Wallace reports that “fund-raising experts say that year-to-year percentage increases in online contributions that far outstrip gains in other types of fund raising have won over many of the lingering naysayers.”
Adding to the momentum was the strength of online donations to help victims of the December tsunamis in South Asia, acknowledges Wallace.
The article also points out that the amount of money currently being raised online still pales in comparison to total gifts.
“To be sure, not everyone agrees on how important a source of revenue online fund raising will eventually become for charities,” writes Wallace. “Internet contributions still account for a small percentage of charities’ overall fund raising. Online gifts made up less than 1 percent of total revenue for 117 of the 141 charities that provided their 2004 fund-raising totals.”
Adds Wallace, “But while the percentage of overall fund raising is still very small for most groups, the rate of growth has been significant.”
The five charities that raised the most funds online in 2004, according to the article, were Doctors Without Borders USA ($16.9 million), The National Multiple Sclerosis Society ($16.5 million), Heifer Project International ($10.3 million), the American Heart Association ($9.9 million) and World Vision ($8.5 million).
To read the article in its entirety, click here.
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