pulse of donor relations survey results

1. Lynne M. Wester
@donorguru
The Pulse of Donor Relations

2. • www.donorrelationsguru.com/pulse
• The 915 respondents to this survey not only
make it statistically significant, they also show
the need and desire for relevant information
on the profession of donor relations -- a need
that until this study has never been filled.
2

3. 3

4. Higher
Education
61%
Healthcare
11%
NonProfit
18%
Arts
2%
Independent
Schools
7%
Other (please
specify)
1%
Organization Type
4

5. 5
1
22%
2
22%
3
16%
4
11%
5
7%
6-10
14%
10+
8%
How many staff members (including yourself) work in
donor relations at your organization?

6. 6
less than
10
36%
10-25
24%
25-50
18%
50-100
12%
100-250
8%
250+
2%
How many staff are in your
fundraising/advancement operation or
division at your organization?

7. 1-2 years
19%
3-5 years
25%5-9 years 27%
10+ years 29%
How many years of experience do you have in donor relations?

8. 0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Stay in the
donor
relations field
Do something
else in the
fundraising
world
Work for
nonprofits but
not in
fundraising
Work in the
for-profit
world
Retire
In the next five years, would you like to...

9. 0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Acknowledgments
Giving…
Events
Reporting
Birthday/holiday…
Communications
Individual…
Signage/plaques
Honorrolls
Giftitems
Giftagreements
Socialmedia
OtherDuties
Fundraising
Marketing/Com…
Training
Database
All Duties You Are Responsible For

11. less than
48 hours
20%
48-72 hours
34%
a week
30%
more
than a
week
10%
more
than
two
weeks
6%
What is the average turnaround time for acknowledgments at your
organization?

12. Monthly
6%
Quarterly
25%
Yearly
38%
Other
21%
Few Years
2%
Can't Remember
2%
Custom
6%
How often is the acknowledgment template letter refreshed at your
organization?

13. Yes, in print
66%
Yes, in print and
digitally
13%
Yes, digitally
only
2%
No
19%
Do your donors receive annual financial reports/stewardship on
their funds?

14. Yes, in print
50%
Yes, in print
and digitally
13%
Yes, digitally
only
2%
No
35%
Do your donors receive annual narrative reports on their funds?

15. Yes, in print
25%
Yes, in print and
digitally
40%
Yes, digitally
only
10%
No
25%
Does your organization produce an annual report?

16. 25 or less
48%
26-50
20%
50-99
13%
100+
19%
If your organization has custom/individual stewardship plans, how
many donors are included?

18. 0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
100.0%
Annual Giving Planned Giving Cumulative Lifetime
Giving
Consecutive Giving
Organization has the following gift society/club types:

19. Yes
35%
No
65%
Does your organization have a comprehensive catalogue or listing of
all named spaces?

20. 0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Do You Have a Donor Wall?

21. Yes
51%
No
49%
Are you involved in the gift agreement/MOU process at your
organization?

22. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Draft Review Draft and
Administer
Consult Manage
process
How Are You Involved With Gift Agreements?

23. Yes
79%
No
21%
Do you have standardized gift agreements/MOUs for donors?

24. 0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
100.0%
What types of events are you responsible for at your organization?

25. 1-5
56%
6-10
21%
11-20
13%
21-40
6%
40-
60
2%
60+
2%
How many events do you have under your responsibility every year
at your organization?

26. Yes
45%
No
55%
Does your organization have a comprehensive or strategic plan for
donor relations?

27. Yes, formal
18%
Yes, informal
10%
No, only with
reports or
special projects
17%
No
55%
Have you conducted a formal or informal donor survey?

28. Yes, a
strong
one
3%
Yes, somewhat
30%
No
62%
In
progress
5%
Do you have a metrics program for donor relations?

29. Lynne M. Wester
lynne@donorrelationsguru.com
www.donorrelationsguru.com
Join our dynamic Linkedin Group
Follow me on Twitter @donorguru
Thank You!