Fuse Hot Takes: M+R’s 2024 Benchmarks
The latest M+R benchmarks report is finally here with some big stats! We dove in and broke down what to be aware of for 2024.
M+R benchmark metrics show YOY comparisons and context is EVERYTHING. Keep in mind the industry is still level setting from the COVID bump and the Disaster & International Aid sector’s huge spike in 2022 from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
If you and your organization are seeing a decline YOY, this may not be cause for alarm just yet. Your file may be level setting after some external factored impacted results, so look back at historic views that include more than just 2 years of date for some additional insights.
Now, onto our team’s biggest takeaways and what stood out to us most:
1. There is an uptick in monthly giving (again)!
M+R insight: Online monthly revenue increased 6% last year.
What this means for you: If you haven’t prioritized monthly giving as an initiative for your organization - now is the time!
2. Email list sizes are growing.
M+R insight: The median nonprofit in every sector saw email audience growth in 2023.
What this means for you: We get it – keeping up with email churn is hard. Do you know how your organization compares to the industry? Should you be investing more in lead generation strategies? Are you encouraging email sign-ups on your direct mail pieces to develop multi-channel donors?
3. If your organization saw a decline in email metrics last year, you aren’t alone.
M+R insight: Despite list growth, nearly every email metric declined over the prior year. As nonprofits sent more messages to larger audiences, the likelihood of generating a click, action, or donation declined.
What this means for you: How can we keep audiences engaged and keep unsubscribe rates low? Test, test, and test again to determine what your audience responds to and how frequently you should be messaging. More frequent messaging does not always equate to more engagement and response.
4. Find your audience the organic way.
M+R insight: An average of 44% of webpage visits came from organic traffic rather than paid ads.
What this means for you: Time to bulk up your SEO! Optimizing keywords to help your nonprofit be more discoverable is key for new donors to find your organization and determine your credibility.
Of course, this is just touching the very tip of the iceberg of data and insights that M+R includes in their 2024 benchmarks report. What stood out to you most about the report?
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