Indicators of Charitable Contribution: Finding Profiles of Donors in the Community

Abstract

Nonprofit groups are keenly interested in finding ways to better understand donor groups, to attract them to their causes, and to hold onto them into the future because about 83% of all gifts to charity in this country are given by individuals. The objectives of this research were to examine the possible relationships among actual charitable giving patterns, exclusive of church donations, and the types and numbers of types of typical classes of community activities/organizations with which these givers were involved. Further, potential refinement on the basis of age, income, gender and marital status was pursued. By analyzing demographic characteristics of financial contributors, a nonprofit organization can generate a donor profile to assist in identifying potential donors and design promotional efforts based on a more accurate knowledge and understanding of such donors in hopes of increasing its success in securing financial gifts from the individual sector of society.