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The 2019 M+R Benchmarks Study Is Here!

See what the 2019 M+R Benchmarks Study has to offer your nonprofit organization!

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Depending on your point of view, the annual M+R Benchmarks Study might just be the most essential guide to digital fundraising, advocacy, and marketing metrics in this moment. Or, you might see it as an in-depth exploration of what’s changing for nonprofits and their supporters. Or a giant stack of pretty charts.

It might be an inspiration, a wake-up call, or a much-needed reminder than you are not alone in this world.

However you see Benchmarks, it is ready for you RIGHT NOW to explore online and download for free at mrbenchmarks.com!

We expect that a lot of you might focus on one key finding: online revenue for nonprofits in our study grew by just 1% in 2018. It is, indeed, a striking change from the steadily climbing online revenue numbers we are used to seeing.

We spend some time exploring what this relatively flat change means, but there is so much more to explore, including:

  • Facebook Fundraisers! We tracked Facebook as a source of revenue for the first time this year, and found that some nonprofits raised nearly as much from Facebook Fundraisers as all other sources of online revenue combined. On average, nonprofits raised $1.77 for every $100 raised through other online sources.
  • Monthly giving! Revenue from monthly donors increased by 17% and accounted for 16% of all online revenue in 2018.
  • Donor retention! Overall, 25% of first-time online donors in 2017 gave again online in 2018—but retention was higher for donors giving over $100 and those who gave through membership programs.
  • Web engagement! Mobile users accounted for a larger share of traffic than desktop users in 2018—but desktop still dominated fundraising. Desktop users made 63% of all donations and 71% of revenue.
  • Digital ads! Nonprofits’ spending on digital ads increased by 144% in 2018.
  • Mobile messaging! Fundraising text messages had a 13% click-through rate, while peer-to-peer text messaging earned a response rate of 15%.
  • Social media! Advocacy! Ticket sales! A poem by Wallace Stevens! There is literally something for everyone in this year’s Benchmarks Study.

Whether you are a seasoned veteran or just dipping your toes into online channels, whether you focus on fundraising or concentrate on communications, no matter your vantage point—you will find something new in Benchmarks this year.

We’ve just scratched the surface here. Now let’s keep digging.