September Right Now Report
We created the Right Now Report to give you the high-level updates you need without the unnecessary clutter. In the September Report, we’re exploring Canva features, what donor data trends mean for nonprofit organizations and social media updates.
New Canva features unveiled
Earlier this year, Canva unveiled a new set of features and tools for their Visual Suite to speed up and inspire the design process. In August, they released some additional features that not only aid in the design process but also make designs more inclusive and accessible.
They’ve rolled out inclusive features including:
- Simultaneous translation for multiple design pages
- Automated video captioning
- An alternative text feature that enhances accessibility by providing textual descriptions for images
- Expanded storage of up to 1T to accommodate large video files for Canva Pro users (including Canva for Nonprofits users)
- Bulk Create, which enables you to create designs quickly and accurately using data from spreadsheets
If your nonprofit organization doesn’t yet have a free Canva for Nonprofits Pro account, you can apply here.
Significance of 2023 Q1 Nonprofit Donor Decline for Your Organization
According to a new report from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP), during the first quarter of 2023, there was a significant decrease in both donor numbers and donations across all categories. This was mainly due to major donors, and it was worsened by a drop in contributions from new donors. The FEP Report also noted that donor participation fell by 10.8%, which was adjusted to 3.8% after accounting for data delays. This was the seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year decline in donor participation.
Major donors, who make up a large portion of total donations, showed a decrease of nearly 10% in their contributions. Fundraised dollars also decreased by 8.7%, but after factoring in data drift (A significant amount of data arrives late, so FEP estimates the difference for top-line metrics by reviewing historical patterns of delayed data), the actual decrease was estimated to be 0.7%. Although there was a small increase in overall retention, there were declines in both new donor counts (19.2%) and retention rates across all categories. This poses challenges for the nonprofit sector’s reliance on established donors.
To counteract the challenges of declining donor participation and contributions, nonprofits should adopt a multifaceted approach to diversify fundraising strategies to reduce reliance on major donors. You can consider prioritizing grassroots giving through online platforms and social media as it has the potential to broaden the donor base.
Nonprofits organizations can retain and gain new donors by utilizing these strategies:
Personalized communications
Data-driven decision-making Fostering stronger donor relationships
Embracing the digital landscape
Transparently showcasing impact
Targeted new donor acquisition initiatives
Together these create a comprehensive strategy for sustaining nonprofit stability and growth.
Emerging X (Twitter) news we’re keeping an eye on
Elon Musk recently shared that they’re removing the blocking feature on X (formerly known as Twitter). Blocking prevents users from following and replying to tweets, while muting only hides their tweets and replies. Twitter tried this once in 2013 and it wasn’t successful – lasting only 24 hours before they reverted back.
These proposed changes have earned some warranted outrage from X users. Removing blocking could pose problems for accounts trying to manage their communities and brands on the platform. We’re keeping an eye on this as it develops because it could affect your ability to manage interactions and prevent negative content.
Other Marketing News
- Meta Fundraising Tool Changes: Meta is making changes to its fundraising tools for nonprofits in the United States. They are transitioning away from directly processing payments through Meta Payments Inc. to using PayPal Giving Fund (PPGF) as their external processor. Additionally, Meta announced they will no longer be covering processing fees on donations. Nonprofits must take specific actions by October 31, 2023, to avoid disruptions to their fundraising tools. The key action steps nonprofits need to take are to review and accept the updated Charitable Donation Terms provided by Meta and switch to using PPGF for processing donations. This needs to be accomplished by October 31, 2023 to avoid losing access to some fundraising tools and services provided by Meta.
- New Social Media Platform: Roar Social is a new social impact-focused social media platform that was created with the intention of enabling users to raise funds for their chosen causes by encouraging their followers to donate micro-donations.
If you have any questions about these topics or would like support in implementing these trends in your own marketing strategy, we’re here to help. We’re committed to helping you navigate the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing with ease.
We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us today to explore how working with Right Relations can help you stay ahead of the curve and bring joy back to your marketing efforts.