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Unlocking Fundraising Secrets One Survey at a Time

Now is the time to “Count Me In” to be part of the 2015 Individual Donor Benchmark Project. Between now and March 3, nonprofit organizations with budgets under $2 million are encouraged to pre-register to participate in the annual survey. http://www.thirdspacestudio.com/countmein/


Last year, nonprofits across the country participated in a landmark survey designed for small and mighty organizations to better understand their fundraising potential. Through the Individual Donor Benchmark (IDB) Project, organizations gained key insights to find fundraising success through data. Now the leaders of the IDB Project hope to continue the impressive growth when the annual Survey returns.  

“The Individual Donor Benchmark Project is unique to the nonprofit sector because no other survey offers this kind of in-depth fundraising analysis to benefit nonprofits with budgets under $2 million,” said Heather Yandow, Third Space Studio. “The trends we uncovered last year have helped hundreds of organizations nationwide better understand their fundraising, and we’re excited to continue the project to see what new insights we can uncover.” 

The IDB Project uses annual data to empower organizations with budgets under $2 million to understand their donor potential, enhance their fundraising strategies and raise more money from individual donors. Survey participants will gain insights into their own data as well as gaining access to trends established by the entire nonprofit sector. 

Several “universal truths” identified in the 2014 report included:

  • The single most important thing you can do to strengthen your individual donor fundraising is to create a plan.
  • The average small but mighty nonprofit raises 36 percent of their revenue from individual donors.
  • About 16 percent of individual donor revenue is generated online.
  • Higher Paid Development Staff = More Donations. If you have a fundraising plan, every $1 more you pay your primary individual donor fundraiser, you are able to raise another $4.25.
  • Yandow added, “This survey is incredibly valuable to any group looking to grow a program or simply understand how your fundraising results compare to like-sized organizations.” 


    The results of the survey will be compiled into a report analyzing data and trends ranging from:

  • Percentage of individual donors and total dollars raised from individuals
  • Individual and major gifts and their average size
  • Fundraising technology
  • Elements of a fundraising plan
  • Human resources to support fundraising

  • Organizations who submit their data for the 2015 Survey will receive their individual results, as well as the complete survey results to share, an invitation to an exclusive webinar for survey participants to dig into the results, and the official Individual Donor Benchmarks report and infographic.

    As the IDB project enters its fifth year, the number of survey participants and the wide-reaching impact of the Report continue to grow. Last year’s Individual Donor Benchmark Report gained national attention gaining recognition from the Stanford Innovation Review and Nonprofit Technology Network.

    Now is the time to be part of a growing grassroots movement to empower small and medium nonprofits to benefit from fundraising data tailored to them. The 2015 Individual Donor Benchmark Survey will collect responses fromMarch 3 through April 8.

    Take a look at past IDB Reports here:

  • Click here to read the 2014 Individual Donor Benchmark Report and view the Infographic.
  • Click here to read the 2013 Individual Donor Benchmark Report and view the infographic.


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