On the heels of one of the most controversial presidential races, an election upset that stunned the media and had stock markets reeling from the uncertainty of a ‘Trumped’ future…fundraisers are looking to the most important period of the year for giving.
Is year-end giving in trouble? Are donors worried or hopeful about the future? How will that affect their generosity?
In the days following the election, our friends at Analytical Ones conducted a survey of 300 active donors in the USA to determine what changes, if any, donors planned to make in their giving. And they learned…
Donors were not shaken by the election.
The overwhelming majority of active donors indicated they had no intention of changing their giving after the election, and it was true of both Trump and Hillary supporters.
Of the few that planned to change their giving, more than twice as many said they would increase their giving rather than decrease it.
As for concerns over market volatility, which has been known to affect giving, we saw that the brief market drop the morning after Trump was elected is relatively normal. Markets often go crazy in the hours following elections. According to Bloomberg, stocks also plummeted 5% when Barack Obama beat John McCain in 2008. In fact, since 1928, the S&P has fallen 15 out of 22 times on the day after polls close.
Since the election, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has been consistently growing, hitting record highs in recent days. The market is showing signs of healthy economic growth for the United States, which should bring confidence to the average donor.
If recent stats from the 2016 year-end giving season are any indicator of what’s to come, most fundraisers have a reason to be hopeful.
According to The Giving Tuesday Data Project, giving on November 29, 2016, raised $168 million online, surpassing last year’s Giving Tuesday total of $116.7 million by 44%.
Donors are staying generous following an election that for some sparked feelings of fear and even division for a time. But the muddy presidential race is over and donors continue to give. For some, it might be about a sense of financial confidence. For others, the passion to double down on the causes they love and support. We all know the need is still great.
Year-end fundraising is in full swing, and it’s not slowing down.