Digital Fundraising in 2025: What’s Up, What’s Down, and What to Do About It
If you’ve ever wanted your analytics report to come with a side of poetry, the 2025 M+R Benchmarks report delivers. This year’s edition is both sobering and surprisingly hopeful—like a warm cup of coffee during a staff debrief. It’s got the usual metrics, but it also has feelings. (And yes, some haiku.)
We dove into the data to bring you the key takeaways—and what they mean for your fundraising strategy.
The Good News
- Online revenue is creeping back up: After a slight dip in 2023, revenue grew 2% in 2024. It’s not a fireworks moment—but it’s movement in the right direction.
- Monthly giving continues to shine: Monthly revenue rose 5% and now accounts for 31% of all online giving. It’s official: if you’re not prioritizing monthly giving, you’re leaving money on the table.
- Direct mail is holding steady: Direct mail brought in $0.78 for every dollar raised online, and mail revenue was up 3% overall. Integration remains your friend.
- Influencer marketing is growing up: Nearly half of non-profits worked with influencers last year—not just for fundraising, but for advocacy and narrative building too.
The Not-So-Good News
- Email revenue is falling: For every 1,000 fundraising emails sent, non-profits raised just $58—a 10% drop from last year. Click-through and conversion rates are also down. (Ouch.)
- Retention is struggling: Only 23% of new online donors gave again the following year. Even long-time online donors only retained at 62%. That’s a big leaky bucket.
- Digital ad costs are up: Ad spending rose 11%, with connected TV ad spend jumping 84%. ROI isn’t guaranteed—so strategy is everything.
Strategic Trends Worth Watching
- Pre-selecting monthly gifts: Only 35% of non-profits defaulted to monthly giving on donation pages. Want to grow sustainers? Make it easy and expected.
- Year-end still matters: 40% of online revenue came in December. December 31 alone accounted for 5%. Yes, that one last email does matter.
🎯 What STella! Recommends
At STella!, we treat the M+R Benchmarks report like a digital fundraising health check. And here’s what we would prescribe based on this year’s results:
- Go big on monthly: Invest in digital journeys that convert one-time donors into sustainers. Test defaults, upsell lightboxes, and compelling storytelling that focuses on long-term impact. And don’t forget about stewardship for these new donors!
- Rethink email: Higher volume isn’t the answer. Smarter segmentation, more authentic voice, and testing (message, timing and tone) can help lift performance.
- Test before you send: 26% of non-profits now use pre-market testing—way to go! This is your cue to validate creative before launching at scale.
- Join our upcoming webinar: You have benchmarks. Now what?! to better understand—and take action—on benchmarks that can help you identify trends and make a big difference in your digital fundraising programs. Click here to register.
Need help outperforming the benchmark?
Our clients consistently exceed industry averages. Let’s talk about how we can help you grow digital revenue, increase donor retention, and launch smarter campaigns.
👉 Join our June 26 lunchtime webinar, You have benchmarks. Now what?!
📧 Get in touch at PhilipK@stellafundraising.com
🔗 Or check out the full M+R report here: mrbenchmarks.com
