A majority of organizations consider donor acquisition to be one of their top three fundraising challenges, a report from CCS Fundraising finds.

Based on data collected in late 2021 from 877 organizations, the report, CCS Fundraising Philanthropy Pulse (24 pages, PDF), found that 53 percent of respondents cited donor acquisition as one of their organization’s top three fundraising challenges, with donor retention/stewardship and leveraging data to make better decisions rounding out the top three. According to the report, about 80 percent of responding organizations received gifts from family foundations and donor-advised funds in the past two years, with appreciated assets and bequests reported by more than half of respondents. The report also noted that, looking toward fundraising in 2022, respondents expressed the most confidence in major gifts (69 percent expecting an increase) and the least confidence in government grants (21 percent expecting a decline).

The report also found widespread support for incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into donor relations, with 91 percent of respondents reporting that they discuss the concepts of diversity, equity, and/or inclusion (DEI) with their donors at least occasionally and 62 percent reporting that DEI is part of their organization’s strategic plans for future fundraising activities. The most popular tactic to make development more diverse, equitable, and inclusive was making changes to board recruitment and/or relations practices, followed by DEI training for staff and/or board members (52 percent and 49 percent, respectively).

The report also found that as of November 2021, 70 percent of respondents had at least partially resumed in-person donor meetings and events since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, 61 percent intended to continue virtual events and 55 percent intended to continue part-time or occasional remote work schedules for staff members.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)