Blackbaud Newsroom

Blackbaud’s Charitable Giving Report Reveals Emerging Digital Trends as Online Giving Outperformed Traditional Giving in 2015

In 2015, overall giving increased 1.6 percent while
online giving grew 9.2 percent on a year-over-year basis

Charleston, S.C. (February 2, 2016) – Continuing its tradition of providing the global philanthropic community with the latest data and expertise to help inform nonprofit fundraising strategies, Blackbaud, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLKB), today released its Charitable Giving Report, featuring the first look at how nonprofit fundraising performed in 2015. As the largest analysis of charitable giving data available, the report includes overall giving data from nonprofit organizations representing $18.2 billion in total fundraising revenue and online giving data from nonprofit organizations representing $2.2 billion in online fundraising from 2015.

“Giving trends from 2015 continue to reinforce the importance of the multichannel donor in a post-recession fundraising environment. Online giving reached new highs in 2015 and donations made on mobile devices have become the new normal,” said Steve MacLaughlin, presenter of the Charitable Giving Report and director of Analytics at Blackbaud. “Donors have made the shift to digital and mobile giving. Nonprofits that invest in these areas are poised to benefit today and into the future.”

Key findings from Blackbaud’s Charitable Giving Report include:

  • Overall giving grew approximately 1.6% in 2015
  • Online giving grew 9.2% in 2015 compared to 2014
  • Online donations were 7.1% of all fundraising in 2015
  • #GivingTuesday online donations were up 52% in 2015
  • Nearly 14% of online donations were made on a mobile device in 2015

According to the report, international affairs organizations grew the most in 2015, higher education institutions had the largest increase in online giving for the second consecutive year, and small nonprofits continue to have significantly better fundraising growth rates than both large and medium-sized organizations. Several sectors, including human services and public & society benefit, had a decrease in year-over-year fundraising performance.

To view more charitable giving trends, download the report at www.blackbaud.com/charitablegiving. Updated on the first of each month and based on year-over-year percent changes, visit The Blackbaud Index to stay up-to-date on the latest fundraising trends and experience the recently enhanced interactive Index charts.

About the 2015 Charitable Giving Report
The Charitable Giving Report leverages findings from The Blackbaud Index to provide the largest analysis of actual overall and online charitable giving data for the global philanthropic community. The goal of the report is to provide a benchmark for giving and help inform nonprofits’ fundraising strategies in 2016.

About Blackbaud

Serving the worldwide philanthropic community for more than 30 years, Blackbaud (NASDAQ:BLKB) combines innovative software, services, and expertise to help organizations achieve their missions. Blackbaud works in over 60 countries to power the passions of approximately 35,000 clients, including nonprofits, K-12 private schools, higher education institutions, healthcare organizations, foundations and other charitable giving entities, and corporations.The company offers a full spectrum of cloud and on-premise solutions, as well as a resource network that empowers and connects organizations of all sizes.Blackbaud’s portfolio of software and services support nonprofit fundraising and relationship management, eMarketing, advocacy, accounting, payments and analytics, as well as grant management, corporate social responsibility, education. Using Blackbaud technology, these organizations raise, invest, manage, and award more than $100 billion each year. Recognized as a top company, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina and has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com.

Media Contact
Nicole McGougan
Public Relations
843-654-3307
nicole.mcgougan@blackbaud.com

Forward-looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the introduction of new products and product features, as well as the expected benefits of the new products and product features. Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors that could cause results to differ materially include the following: general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with successful implementation of multiple integrated software products; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles, particularly in larger organization; technological changes that make our products and services less competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or upon request from Blackbaud’s investor relations department. All Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.