‘Tis the Season to Be Giving.

According to Network for Good, one-third of charitable giving is done in December. Given the state of the global economy, we’re taking a look at the early indicators on charitable giving this year. We’re hoping it is going to be a good year for nonprofits and charities.

Unfortunately, it’s too early too give statistical significant insight into what is going on.  However, we’ve seen some interesting directional trends for 2011. We’re only 2 weeks in from Thanksgiving, but here’s what we see developing.

The Trend Toward Apple

We’re seeing significant donations from users of Apple products. We see disproportionately more donations from Mac users than PC users.  More interestingly, we’re seeing strong activity on IPhones and IPads. All most 10% of donations were made on either an IPad or an IPhone.   Further, donors on the IPad seem to give significantly more than all other platforms. As we think about Charity Blossom products and features in the future, we’re taking a hard look at the trend towards Apple and towards mobile devices.  We aren’t seeing any significant activity on other mobile systems. Last, we observe that  the overall platform usage (as opposed to donations) by visitors tracks closely to donations.

Donations Are Up, Relative to Last Year at Network for Good

Overall, average donations are  around $120.  This is a promising sign, as Network for Good reports their average donation size of $73, for 2011.

Again, there are still over 3 weeks until New Years, so we’re not sure how this is all going to turn. We’re optimistic for a good end-of-year for nonprofits and charities.

Help do your part!  Make a donation today!