There are an estimated 10,000,000 NGOs in the world – and less than half are online. In the coming two decades, the number of NGOs using the Internet for social change and fundraising will double. NGOs and nonprofits in wealthy nations, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, have access to data about digital communications and fundraising. The most recent edition of the Global NGO Technology Report has these key findings for North America.
1) 97% of NPOs in the United States & Canada have a website. Of those, 85% accept online donations on their website, the highest rate worldwide. However, only 6% offer live chat, the lowest rate worldwide.
2) 39% use a peer-to-peer fundraising tool, up from 31% in 2018 and the highest rate worldwide. The adoption of crowdfunding, however, remains low at 24% – 7% below the global average.
3) The use of mobile card readers is high at 34%, but the adoption of other emerging fundraising tools, such as cryptocurrency, giving through gaming, and smart speaker giving is below the global average.
4) 58% participate in #GivingTuesday, the highest rate worldwide. Of those, 62% raised more money on #GivingTuesday 2018 than they did in 2017. 70% plan to participate in #GivingTuesday 2019.
5) The understanding of emerging technology by NPO staff is higher than the global average. 79% say they understand Artificial Intelligence, 75% cloud computing, and 58% predictive analytics.
Justin Wheeler, CEO & Co-founder, Funraise notes "The 2019 edition of the Global NGO Technology Report reveals how quickly technology is growing, and more importantly, how technology is being used by nonprofits to change the world. In particular, peer-to-peer, networked fundraising tools are expanding to all corners of the globe, empowering NGOs to raise funds in ways they never knew would work for them—in many cases, for the first time.”
While there is strong data for our part of the world, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean – has little to no research on the subject in the NGO sector. The full Global NGO Technology Report seeks to create a more equitable and balanced picture of the digital revolution occurring worldwide.
Heather Mansfield is the Editor-in-chief for Nonprofit Tech for Good
To download the full report, click here
