More giving, fewer donors: Blackbaud’s Steve MacLaughlin discusses this unique era in philanthropy

Steve MacLaughlin is a bestselling author and fundraising expert – and here at Blackbaud, he’s one of our resident data and analytics specialists.  

Steve joins international social influence expert Derrick Feldmann on stage at Influence Nation Summit on Sept. 6 in Washington, where they’ll tackle the conundrum of why overall donations continue to grow as the number of individual donors decreases. 

The bottom line: Philanthropic success depends on engaging, building, and stewarding relationships with donors. This relationship cultivation is especially important, considering that while giving has increased in recent years, the number of overall donors has decreased. There is a limit
to donor elasticity at the current pace. 

Check out three Blackbaud Institute reports that explore those trends: 

• Generational giving: https://institute.blackbaud.com/asset/the-next-generation-of-american-giving-2018/  
• Donation patterns: https://institute.blackbaud.com/asset/vital-signs-monitoring-giving-patterns-in-the-donor-marketplace/  
• Value of new donors: https://institute.blackbaud.com/asset/vital-signs-part-2/  

Research finds that the number of donors has declined by 7% since 2010, yet the value of giving grew by 41%. This challenging climate holds promise, according to Steve.

“While the number of households giving has declined, the value of their giving has increased at a better rate than inflation,” he noted. “Our most recent data shows that this decline may have stopped and could even be reversing. There has never been a better time to double down on stewardship, embrace donors, and focus on acquisition.” 

At Influence Nation Summit, Steve and Derrick will analyze the data and explain how social good organizations can capitalize on trends. If you can’t make it, check back here after the conference to watch their conversation.