Research on use of digital marketing by charities

Research on charity adoption of digital marketing to support fundraising and campaigning

We've just been alerted to this research on the Use of Digital Marketing by Charities. We thought we would share it since although not brand new we have many members who are not-for-profit organisations in the UK and worldwide who may not have seen it and can benchmark their approaches and challenges.

Lasa researched over 300 charities across the UK were surveyed to find out how advanced they are with digital marketing and it's use to support fundraising and income generation, including the impact on the sector by not adopting digital channels.

55% felt digital has to be a 'core competency' for all staff but over half needed training to fully embrace it's full potential

These were two of the key findings - first, the majority see big potential improvements are possible.

Drilling down into the options for using digital marketing in charities, further improvements are possible

To find out how Charities are using digital marketing to impact fundraising and campaigning access Lasa's digital marketing for charity report (PDF).

Key findings from the survey

• 94% surveyed use digital for communications including newsletters and apps.
• 68% use digital for fundraising.
• Half respondents are not using it due to 'lack of time'  or 'understanding at board level'.
• 2/3 do not have a mobile optimised site and are not using 'mobile' for apps or fundraising.
• 2/3 feel they can not operate with it and it's essential to the business.
• 77% feel that supporters will be lost if they 'do not communicate effectively'.