why i hate network for good’s katya andresen

Ok i don’t. In fact i really admire her. I’m just a little jealous is all.

Katya’s latest study of online donors is a new landmark, and a must-read for everyone.

Before I post her summary below, I’ll tell you the one quibble I shared with her. I think the study understates the growth and significance of baby boomer and older online donors, who represent a large proportion of the online giving population. Otherwise, the study is a perfect 10.

Research summary:

-Online givers are young (38-39 years old) and generous, giving several times more than offline donors on average.
-Men and women give online in equal numbers.
-Virtually all of online givers (96%) have given to charity before, but a sizable proportion (38%) is new to online philanthropy.
-Online giving is tracking to the trends of online shopping and banking, and it is the avenue of choice for donors during disasters.
-Most people give online during the week, during business hours – most commonly, between 10am and noon.
-New York is the most generous state for online giving; Mississippi and North Dakota are the least generous.
-Giving online follows the same “long tail” phenomenon seen in online sales of books and music.
-Most online giving goes to disaster agencies, followed by animal-related causes.
-Top searches are disaster related, plus “children,” “cancer,” and “homeless.”
-Small organizations benefit from listings on aggregation sites; at network for good, half of dollars go to small-medium sized charities.
-People say they give online because it’s easier than writing a check and a fast way to respond to disasters.