Newsjournal of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan | September 2023 | Volume 67, Number 9
ONE OUT OF FIVE DONORS HAS GIVEN USING MOBILE DEVICES
Steve Yount – A. Larry Ross Communications
DALLAS, TX – The use of a mobile device by donors to give to a charity's website has jumped 80 percent since 2013, according to a survey commissioned by Dunham+Company and conducted by Campbell Rinker. Nearly 1 out of 5 donors (18 percent) surveyed in September 2015 said they have used their mobile device to give to a charity's website, up from just 10 percent in a similar survey two years before. Although the largest jump was among donors younger than 40 (9 percent in 2013 to 21 percent in 2015), even the segment of donors 60 and older nearly doubled, increasing from 7 percent in 2013 to 13 percent in 2015.
Overall, smartphone usage increased significantly among donors. In 2013, 62 percent said they used a smartphone and in 2015, 79 percent said they did. The biggest increase came among those ages 48-65 -- 44 percent in 2013 to 78 percent in 2015. Use of mobile tablets by donors also jumped from 33 percent in 2013 to 51 percent in 2015. Overall, only 7 percent of donors said they don't use a smartphone or mobile tablet compared to 19 percent in 2013. Even the oldest generation of donors (66 and up) has increased in its use of smartphones and mobile tablets. Smartphone usage among this generation grew from 37 percent in 2013 to 56 percent in 2015, and mobile tablet usage more than doubled, jumping from 20 percent in 2013 to 44 percent in 2015. Ten percent also said they have used their mobile device to give a gift to a charity.

"What this study makes clear is that the adoption of smart technology by donors has really jumped from 2013, as nearly all donors are using some sort of smart device, with nearly 8 out of 10 using a smartphone," said Rick Dunham, President and CEO of Dunham+Company, which consults with nonprofits on their fundraising and marketing needs. "What isespecially telling is that donors are increasingly using their mobile devices to make donations on a charity's website. This makes it all the more imperative for a charity (church) to have a mobile responsive website and giving form."

The Dunham+Company study was part of a Campbell Rinker Donor Confidence Survey conducted Sept. 9-11, 2015 among 400 U.S. adult donors who had given at least $20 in the previous year. The online responses were weighted by age to reflect the general U.S. population per the 2010 census. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.6 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.
For the complete findings from the study, please visit http://www.givingresearch.net.