This document discusses donor loyalty based on survey data from 2005 and 2008. Some key findings: 1) 70% of donors in 2008 claimed to have high loyalty to a cause or charity, higher than loyalty to other products and services. Loyalty increased among older and higher-income "Platinum" donors giving over $1,000 annually. 2) 58% said they contributed to favored charities for over two years, and 48% contributed to a few charities year after year. Platinum donors reported the highest loyal giving levels. 3) Few donors admitted to impulse giving or frequently switching charities, suggesting many focus their giving to a select few causes that pass a "reasoned or emotional

1. Donor Loyalty:
The Holy Grail of Fundraising
Part I
E W
VI
R E Analysis by Tom Belford
PRecommendations by Roger Craver
March 2009
A Continuing Series on Donor Attitudes and Behavior
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2. Donor Loyalty: The Holy Grail of Fundraising Part I
In our DonorTrends 2005 White Paper, “Donor Loyalty: The Holy Grail of
Fundraising”, we concluded:
“There would appear to be a solid 60-70% of donors who simply are not on
the informational – let alone emotional – path to loyalty. Overall, the data
suggest a profile where about one-third of donors show a propensity toward
loyalty, one-third show little inclination to bond, and one-third sit
somewhere in the middle. If this is accurate, an overall retention rate of
70% or more per year represents significant accomplishment.”
Where do we stand two years later?
Professed Loyalty
W
As we said two years ago, the good news is that many donors claim to be –
and maybe want to be – loyal donors.
I E
In our DT08 survey, fully 70% of respondents claim “High Loyalty” to a
cause or charity they support. This compares quite favorably to other
V
products, services and relationships where “High Loyalty” is asserted:
E
My doctor 64%
R
A TV show 57%
My current employer 55%
P
A sports team 52%
My primary source of news 51%
A beer or soft drink 48%
A political party 44%
My make of automobile 43%
My telephone service 37%
And as we have seen in the past, professed loyalty to causes and charities
increases among those we term “Platinum donors” (i.e., those contributing
more than $1,000 per year in total to causes and charities). Fully 80% of
Platinum donors indicate High Loyalty, with half rating themselves at the
“Very Loyal” level.
We see a corresponding level of loyalty reported when we ask more directly
about giving behavior:
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3. Donor Loyalty: The Holy Grail of Fundraising Part I
Percent that agree with the following statements …
Total Total Seniors Boomers Newbies Platinum Online Offline
DT05 DT08
I have contributed to
my favorite charity for 58% 70% 74% 75% 62% 84% 67% 73%
more than two years
I contribute to a few
favored charities or 48% 58% 66% 58% 53% 69%
56% 59%
advocacy groups year
after year
As the table indicates:
• Reported loyal giving is significantly higher amongst our 2008
respondents
W
• Loyal giving increases with age
• Platinum donors are by far the most loyal donors, and as we will
E
see below, this translates into higher levels of “missionary” work for
I
the causes they support.
V
• No significant difference between online and offline donors.
E
For many donors, some sort of “comfortability’ with a charity does develop,
if not deep loyalty. By contrast, very few donors confess to “impulse” giving
R
or “shopping around” for different charities to support.
P
Percent that agree with the following statements …
Total Total Seniors Boomers Newbies Platinum
DT05 DT08
I tend to donate on impulse,
when I hear about an issue that 24% 25% 12% 26% 29% 20%
bothers me or seems especially
urgent
I “shop around” for charities or
advocacy groups as my 8% 11% 7% 9% 14% 14%
interests change
So, it would appear that five or six-out-of-ten donors perceive themselves to
be steady supporters of their favored charities and causes. This suggests
that they make a conscious effort to focus their giving, implying an ability
and inclination to discriminate among groups and stick with a few that pass
some reasoned or emotional test.
Is that what is happening? Consider these further responses.
© 2008-2009 The Agitator and DonorTrends. All rights reserved. 3
A single copy of this material may be reprinted for noncommercial, personal use only. For options and permission for using these
materials please contact SubscriberCare@theAgitator.net