A Letter from our CEO Jessica Dunn:
As we closed out the past year, there have been a lot of reports and stats over the state of non-profit fundraising in 2023. Sadly, these reports have confirmed what we in this industry have deeply felt over the last few years since the pandemic… giving is down. I want to share a few of these stats with you.
Charitable giving is decreasing once again.
- 2020 and 2021 brought a boom in nonprofit fundraising, reversing the pre-pandemic trend of declining participation and a narrowing donor pyramid.
- 2022 saw a notable weakness in both revenue and number of donors across the charitable giving space.
- Reports throughout 2023 showed a continuation of that trend, including a 10% drop in donors on GivingTuesday.
- A recent survey by The Chronicle of Philanthropy of 1,000 fundraisers revealed “notable apprehension as development professionals grapple with inflation, staffing issues, and donors’ worries about the economy.”
Conclusion: What initially appeared to be a regression to the mean after COVID is now starting to look like trouble brewing. This isn’t a time to panic, but it is necessary to be aware of what’s happening and adapt accordingly.
Inflation has left its mark on charitable giving.
- Individual giving grew 4.0% from 2020 to 2021, but it actually dropped -0.7% when inflation is factored in. From 2021 to 2022, individual giving declined 3.4% in current dollars and 10.5% after adjusting for inflation.
- Consumer prices (food, housing, energy, transportation) rose 13.3% from January 2021 to June 2022. That 13.3% adds up to $717 out of pocket each month for U.S. households.
- Inflation began to cool off in July 2022 and continued to fall through November 2023.
- Despite improving numbers, the public still has a downbeat view of the economy due to “collective trauma.”
Conclusion: The impact of inflation is real, but it appears to be slowing down to more familiar levels. It will take time for people to get used to the new (higher) prices for goods and services, including the need for larger charitable gifts.
Low response continues to be a challenge, especially among new donors.
- According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP), the number of donors industrywide fell for the ninth straight quarter in Q3 2023.
- Donors were down 7.6%
- New donors were down 16.9%
This is why we need YOU in 2024!
We have so many ways to get involved coming up this year, including our 3rd Annual Strike Out Pediatric Leukemia Baseball Game that will take place on Sunday, April 28 at Frisco RoughRiders Stadium, and our 20th Annual BEATLEukemia Ball on Saturday June1 at the Fort Worth Omni.
We have other ways to get involved including follow us on social media, fundraise in our honor for your birthday, host a 3rd party event, write Buddy Notes, create Buddy Packs for our patients or adopt Buddy Bears for them. We are open to your new ideas as well and would love to discuss other ways to partner with you.
We are so grateful for all of our support over the years and can’t do all that we do without you!
We hope you will make a new year’s resolution to donate, get involved and share our work with your friends, coworkers, neighbors, and everyone you know!
Thank you for your support and together we will make 2024 the best year yet for LTX and the patients we serve!
In appreciation,
Jessica Dunn
CEO, Leukemia Texas