Why Charities LOVE the Web

Reading the February issue of Wired and came across this item in their “infoporn” section, by Joanna Perlstein.

“It’s hard to find a silver lining in natural disasters. But the cataclysms of the past year or so–starting with the Asian Tsunami–have been a boon to online fundraising. Half of the $2 billion given to charities for victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, for example, was collected through websites.

“People give more online, and it costs less to handle that money,” said Bill Strathmann, CEO of Network for Good. Another plus–if you can’t pay off your gift immediately, at least you can feel good about the debt.

Cost of raising $1.00 by direct mail $1.25
Cost of raising $1.00 from existing donor by mail .25
Cost of raising $1.00 via telemarketing $.63
Cost of raising $1.00 Online .07