Approximately 72% of respondents in software provider Abila's Donor Loyalty Survey say their decision to give is affected by an organization's messaging. In February 2016, Abila surveyed 1,136 U.S. donors of all ages who had made at least one donation during the previous 12 months. ...
Of the respondents. 65% said they prefer a "short, self-contained e-mail" with no links; 73% prefer a short (two to three paragraphs) letter or online article; while 60% prefer short (under two minutes) YouTube videos.
About 71% of respondents feel more engaged when they receive personalized content. However, personalization gone wrong — for example, with misspelled names or irrelevant information — can alienate donors.
GuideStar Introduces Program Metrics to Profiles
GuideStar has launched a new tier of Nonprofit Profiles called GuideStar Platinum. The no-charge Platinum tier allows not-for-profit organizations to report their progress against their missions using metrics they select. GuideStar has collected about 700 suggested metrics; however, organizations may opt to share the metrics they already track and that matter the most to them. For example, a homeless shelter could report the number of people no longer living in substandard housing as a result of its efforts or a school reporting the number of students enrolled.
According to GuideStar, more than 500 not-for-profit organizations signed up within 48 hours of the first announcement of Platinum in April 2016.
FASB to Release Final Reporting Changes for Not-For-Profit Organizations
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is expected to release a scaled-back set of changes to the financial reporting for not-for-profit organizations in the third quarter of 2016, with more far-reaching changes planned for an unknown future date. Changes made so far this year include the areas of net asset classification, asset liquidity and presentation of expenses.
The FASB has made some significant amendments to its April 2015 proposed Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2015-230, Not-for-Profit Entities (Topic 958) and Health Care Entities (Topic 954): Presentation of Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Entities. For example, not-for-profit organizations will not be required to present operating cash flows using the direct method but can continue to apply either the direct or the indirect method. Other examples include changes to the number of classes of net assets both on the face of the statement of financial position and statement of activities and changes to how underwater amounts of donor-restricted endowment funds are classified The final ASU will first apply to financial statements for calendar 2018 and fiscal 2019 year ends.
What Do Successful Fundraisers Have in Common?
A report commissioned by the Evelyn & Walter Haas Jr. Fund explores how 16 not-forprofit organizations are achieving fundraising success. The report found striking commonalities in the respondents' mindsets about fundraising from individual donors. Notably, all of the organizations distribute fundraising responsibilities across board members, staff and volunteers and regard fundraising as core to the organization's identity.
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