There’s good news from the most recent fundraising forecast from Atlas of Giving — overall giving projected to have 2.5 percent growth in 2015 instead of the previously indicated 3.2 percent decline. Earlier this year, we shared some insights into the original expected decline, but according to their most recent report it looks like charitable giving will see another year of growth.
Good News from Atlas of Giving’s Recent Forecast of Fundraising
Here are a few of the highlights from the Atlas of Giving’s most recent report:
- The forecast for 2015 has improved significantly from the initial forecast. Giving is no longer expected to decrease for the year, but is expected to grow 2.5 percent for the 2015 calendar year.
- U.S. giving is extending its strong 2014 performance through February 2015. The 2015 calendar year giving is up 9.1 percent through February as compared with the same 2 month period of 2014. A continuing bull stock market, low interest rates, improving employment, lower gas prices, and virtually no inflation have driven strong giving results for the first 2 months of 2015.
- February giving increased an impressive 3.2 percent from January totaling $40.2 billion. Total 2014 giving through February totaled an estimated $79.14 billion.
- The Atlas forecast indicates that the growth in giving will begin to slow down throughout the rest of 2015 in March. Giving growth is projected to begin slowing in March. The second half of 2015 is expected to be significantly lower than for the same period of 2014. The current forecast indicates that giving growth will flatten in August and then decline from 2014 results from September through year end.
How can your organization continue to reach more donors and raise more money?
While the initial news is encouraging for fundraisers, the same principles that applied to overcoming the decline can still help you reach your goals this year:
- Define how you can actively upgrade your donors rather than taking a passive approach and allowing their engagement to erode over time.
- Look for creative ways to capitalize on the catalytic opportunities you have to acquire new donors and engage your donors at deeper levels.
- Think through how they can obtain and immediately leverage the data they collect.
- Don’t let any obstacle get in your way by becoming smarter in the way you approach fundraising challenges.
Click here to read more insights on how you can accelerate your fundraising results in 2015.