Читать книгу The Law of Fundraising - Bruce R. Hopkins - Страница 17

Not that long ago, use of the Internet for charitable fundraising was only nascent. One analysis of online fundraising, in its beginnings, did not have statistics on this approach to gift solicitation.²⁶ But it was clearly coming, and was expected to someday be a major force in charitable fundraising. That “someday” arrived, but only fairly recently.

In mid-2014, The Chronicle of Philanthropy provided a special report on online fundraising.²⁷ Among the findings in this report was that Internet gifts climbed 13 percent in 2013 in relation to 2012, although online fundraising “still accounts for a very small portion of the money charities rely on.”²⁸ Nonetheless, in 2013, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society raised more than $98 million online, the California Community Foundation raised more than $95 million online, and the American Heart Association raised $59 million in that manner; other totals were more than $45 million (World Vision), about $40 million (Campus Crusade for Christ International, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, National Christian Foundation, Salvation Army), about $30 million (March of Dimes Foundation, Young Life), and about $20 million (Global Impact, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, United States Fund for UNICEF, University of Michigan).²⁹

About one year later, another report speaks of the “transformative promise of online fundraising” that has yet to materialize.³⁰ This report looks at the “short history of online fundraising” and finds that it “is not without signs of progress.” It summarizes the successes of online-giving websites and notes that “[y]ear to year, more people give money online to charity.” Still, for most charitable organizations, this report states that online giving “represents a sliver of their overall fundraising.” The “promised revolution” is “moving at glacial speed” because of ancient tech infrastructure, reluctance on the part of fundraising management to place more emphasis on online operations, and lack of understanding by senior executives and board members of the potential of online fundraising. This report concludes that “effective online fundraising doesn't eliminate the human touch at the core of giving.” Every day, the report states, “you see more meaning and substance on the Internet, more people forging thoughtful, deep connections—deeper connections, perhaps than a professional fundraiser could ever hope for with a yearly newsletter.”³¹