The folks at Merkle recently gave FundRaising Success and its readers a sneak peek at their new whitepaper, “Examining the Impact of Political Fundraising on Non-profit Direct Mail Performance.”
Among the findings in the report:
* Charities can coexist: Findings show that political elections have no noticeable impact on charitable contributions.
* Giving is growing: While political fundraising levels continue to reach new heights with each presidential election, charitable giving also continues to grow. This means that both fundraising groups have a wider base from which to find donors.
* Donors are different: Political campaign donors are typically younger,
more likely to be male, and have higher incomes. Nonprofit donors are typically
older, are more likely to be female, and are located throughout the country. In
contrast, political donors tend to be located in the northeast.“The report concludes that there is little evidence to suggest that people are giving money to presidential candidates in lieu of charitable organizations,” Fox is quoted as saying. “In fact, the data leads us to believe that, for the most part, people that make political contributions are very different than those who support their favorite charitable organization. Therefore, there doesn’t appear to be too much competition for a share of the contributor’s wallet.”
You can read the entire report at here
Well, I'm prepared to believe this. I don't yet. But perhaps they are right. It's that second point, about growth, that really gives me pause. Over what time frame? Are inflation and GDP considered? Other very solid studies i've seen show giving as flat, relative to GDP, for the last 30 years or so.
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