Soapbox Engage Blog

Recently, Giving U.S.A released their 2023 report on giving trends in the U.S. Here is a helpful summary from BWF. There is a lot of useful data that can inform your nonprofit’s fundraising strategies.

Giving has declined over the last year. In 2020 and 2021, we saw historic highs in giving, due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and racial justice being a major national conversation. Charities received $499.33 billion in support in 2022, which is down from $516.65 billion in 2021. Fewer people are making charitable donations and Americans are now donating only 1.7% of their disposable income.

There are many potential explanations for this dip, such as fear of recession, impacts of inflation, and people no longer feeling like we are in an “emergency” like we were in 2020 and 2021.

What does this mean for fundraisers?

This data underscores the importance of the need to cultivate new donors. One great way to do this is to reach out to your current donors and encourage them to ask their friends, colleagues, and family members to give. Peer-to-peer fundraising is an incredibly useful way to attract new donors, as the people who already support you are likely in community with others who want to support you as well!

At Soapbox Engage, we offer a peer-to-peer fundraising add on for the Donations app that will help you activate your supporters to become fundraisers.

Another important way to cultivate new donors is to invest in the next generation of donors. Gen Z is the largest and most diverse generation in U.S. history, comprising 27% of the U.S. population. They are currently developing their giving practices. New people need new ideas, so you should not just be regurgitating the same campaigns you’ve done to reach Boomers, Gen X, or Millenials. Check out this resource on how you can engage Gen Z to become fundraisers.

These are two major ways to cultivate new donors. What’s important is that you don’t rest on your laurels and try to do the same thing you’ve always done. The world is changing, nonprofit fundraising is changing, and your strategies need to change with it. If you’d like to know more about how the tools at Soapbox Engage can support your fundraising strategies, reach out to uswith questions or to set up a demo.

Here are three more resources to support your fundraising journey:

• 8 Tips to Optimize Nonprofit Funding Conversion Rates: Your fundraising conversion rate is a key indicator of how effective your website is. This blog post has 8 tips for optimizing your conversion rate, and bringing in more donations on your website.


• 4 Ways Donation Transparency Increases Fundraising Success: Whether they’re new donors or long-term donors, it’s important that your donors are very clear about where their money is going! This blog post shares four ways donation transparency can make your fundraising more successful.


• How Salesforce Managed Services Can Help Your Nonprofit Excel: Not fully convinced that Salesforce is right for your organization at all? If you need help to see the benefit, check out this blog post that details how these services can help your organization excel on your journey to achieving your mission.