Figure 1
Percentage of fundraisers reporting success over time:
Major gifts, direct mail, foundation grants, and planned giving
December of each year

100

80

Percentage

40 60

20

Major gifts

Direct mail

Foundation grants

Planned giving

0

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Source: Center on Philanthropy, 2008 Philanthropic Giving Index

2005 2006 2007 2008

(from 87 percent in December 2007 to 73 percent in December 2008) and foundation grants (from 77 percent successful in December 2007 to 65 percent in 2008).

Several other fundraising strategies
are used by a smaller share of the
PGI participants, including telephone
appeals, online fundraising, email
solicitations, special events, and
corporate gifts. Figure 2 shows
the year-end success level of these
fundraising vehicles. Among these
approaches, most showed declines
in success rates in 2008.

In this group, corporate gifts declined the most (from 54 percent success rate in December 2007 to 42 percent

in 2008). Telephone appeals are the only vehicle that rose in success, up by nearly 7 points from December 2007 to December 2008.

AFP survey finds majority of respondents reporting declines in 2008 by all fundraising vehicles except online appeals

In its survey of members, the Association
of Fundraising Professionals found that
54 percent saw total giving either stay
at 2007 levels or decline in 2008; just
46 percent saw an increase. 11 This
is the lowest percentage reporting
growth since 2001. In a typical year,
AFP says, 60 percent or more of its
survey respondents report growth in
charitable revenue.