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Blackbaud Institute 2021 Charitable Giving Report Reveals Record Year for Generosity with 9% Growth in Giving

Report Finds Online Giving Has Grown a Substantial 42% Since 2019

Charleston, S.C. (February 15, 2022) — The Blackbaud Institute, a research division of  Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good, today released its 2021 Charitable Giving Report. The report shows a record increase in generosity, with overall U.S. giving growing 9% in 2021—the largest increase since 2012. Tracking over $46 billion in U.S.-based charitable giving from the Blackbaud Institute Index, the Charitable Giving Report is one of the most credible resources on fundraising performance in the social good community.

“While the world adjusted to a new normal, the growth in giving in 2021 exceeded nearly everyone’s expectations,” said Steve MacLaughlin, vice president, product management, Blackbaud, and senior advisor to the Blackbaud Institute. “The return of some events and continued interest in online giving drove growth, with incredible resiliency from nonprofits and endurance from donors. Not only did both overall giving and online giving grow, but the average donor was more generous than ever.” 

Key U.S. Giving Trends Identified by the Blackbaud Institute:

  • Overall giving increased 9% in 2021, representing a three-year increase of 19%
  • The overall average gift amount in 2021 increased 10%, with an average donation amount of $813
  • Online giving grew 9% in 2021, representing a three-year increase of 42%
  • 12% of giving was done online in 2021, remaining near record high and indicating a maintained comfort level with online giving
  • 28% of online contributions were made from a mobile device
  • Small, medium, and large nonprofits in the United States now raise more than 10% of their fundraising online

Also included in the report is an analysis of giving across 12 nonprofit subsectors, all of which saw growth in 2021, with giving to environmental organizations growing the most at 19.3%. In total, five of the subsectors experienced double-digit giving growth in 2021 compared to 2020. In addition, the report provides a glimpse into international giving trends across Canada, the U.K. and Australia/New Zealand.

The full 2021 Charitable Giving Report can be accessed at www.blackbaudinstitute.com/charitablegiving, and past reports from the series can be found here. The report is designed to inform social good organizations of the trends shaping philanthropy and to provide the insights they need to make informed, strategic decisions that advance their missions. All Blackbaud Institute resources are offered for free, as part of Blackbaud’s give-back philosophy.

About The Blackbaud Institute
The Blackbaud Institute drives research and insight to accelerate the impact of the social good community. It convenes expert partners from across the philanthropic sector to foster diverse perspectives, collective thinking, and collaborative solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. Using the most comprehensive data set in the social good community, the Blackbaud Institute and its partners conduct research, uncover strategic insight and share results broadly to drive effective philanthropy at every stage, from fundraising to outcomes. Knowledge is powering the future of social good, and the Blackbaud Institute is an engine of that progress. Learn more, sign up for our  newsletter, explore our  knowledge base  of social good best practices and trends, see the latest quarterly statistics on giving, and check out our most recent resources at www.blackbaudinstitute.com.  

About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good. Serving the entire social good community—nonprofits, higher education institutions, K–12 schools, healthcare organizations, faith communities, arts and cultural organizations, foundations, companies and individual change agents—Blackbaud connects and empowers organizations to increase their impact through cloud software, services, expertise and data intelligence. The Blackbaud portfolio is tailored to the unique needs of vertical markets, with solutions for fundraising and CRM, marketing, advocacy, peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social and governance (ESG), school management, ticketing, grantmaking, financial management, payment processing and analytics. Serving the industry for more than four decades, Blackbaud is a remote-first company headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, with operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit  www.blackbaud.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

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