Industry Spotlight: Fundraising

The following facts about the fundraising sector show that people are ready and willing to give. They also show that there is a great need for copywriters in this industry.

• The Association of Fundraising Professionals’ most recent data (from 2006) show that fundraising revenues are on the rise. They rose 10.5% in 2005 and another 4.2% in 2006. However, the number of donors is down … which means that fundraising organizations need good writers to recruit new donors and, even more important, to retain their existing donors.
• More than 75% of charitable donations made every year come from individuals rather than companies. That means big mailing lists and the possible opportunity for a control letter that pays royalties.
• Americans give an estimated $295 billion to charities and non-profit organizations annually.
• The charities that are most successful at raising funds use a variety of written materials, from direct-mail letters to newsletters to thank-you letters … meaning plenty of opportunities for you to write the “extras” too.
• Nearly two-thirds of American households make regular charitable donations.
• There are 929 major fundraising mailers in the Who’s Mailing What! Archive. In the last year, the Archive tracked 25,724 mailings.