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| [May 01, 2012] |
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Charitable Giving Increased 4.2 Percent in 2011, yet Continued Growth in 2012 Remains Uncertain
CHARLESTON, S.C. --(Business Wire)--
Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB)
today announced that according to The
Blackbaud Index, charitable giving for full year 2011 increased by
4.2 percent as compared to 2010. It
reported earlier this year that online giving rose 13 percent during
the same time period.
The Blackbaud Index was updated today to reflect charitable giving
through March 2012. According to the Index, for the 11th month in a row,
overall charitable giving has increased over the prior year, by a modest
2.2% in the three months ending March 2012. For the 12th
month in a row, online giving has increased over the prior year, by 9.8%
in the three months ending March 2012, a decrease from February 2012.
The company also announced many new updates to its monthly Index, which
now tracks charitable giving of more than 2500 organizations
representing $7 billion in charitable gifts. In addition to doubling in
size, going forward, the Index will now be published two weeks earlier
on the first of each month, providing a more timely barometer of giving.
Moreover, Blackbaud clients using the recently-released Raiser's
Edge 7.92 now have direct access to The Blackbaud Index from within
the product.
Chuck Longfield, Blackbaud's chief scientist and creator of The
Blackbaud Index noted that while still positive, the Index continues to
see spikes and drops. "Giving continues to grow over last year; but it
is not consistently growing from month to month," said Longfield. "We
suspect this will continue along with the national economic trend as
consumer and donor confidence levels remain inconsistent."
Blackbaud also released a report
today focused on fundraising trends based on monthly findings from The
Blackbaud Index and featuring commentary from Jim Yunker, chair of The
Giving USA Foundation and president and CEO at Smith Beers Yunker &
Company.
The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving and The Blackbaud Index of
Online Giving are now updated on the 1st of each month (or the next
business day) and are based on a three-month moving average of
year-over-year percent changes in charitable giving. They represent the
most comprehensive and timely sources of charitable giving available. To
subscribe to monthly email or text alerts or to read more about the
methodology, visit www.blackbaud.com/blackbaudindex.
The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving - By Size
Blackbaud also releases additional data and analysis that reports on
organizations by size and sub-sector. The Index found that three-month
overall charitable revenue for small organizations (prior year revenue
of < $1 million) increased 15.8% in March, while overall charitable
revenue at medium organizations (prior year revenue of $1 - 10 million)
increased 1.3%, and overall charitable revenue at large organizations
(prior year revenue > $10 million) decreased 2.1%.
The Blackbaud Index of Online Giving - By Size
The Index found that three-month online revenue for small organizations
(prior year revenue of < $1 million) increased 11.5% in March, while
online revenue at medium organizations (prior year revenue of $1 - 10
million) increased 15.3%, and online revenue at large organizations
(prior year revenue > $10 million) increased 4.1%.
Views from the sector
According to Jim Yunker, nonprofits can look to resources like Giving
USA, The Blackbaud Index, and others, to track the trends and in the
case of the recent reports, be buoyed by continued upticks in giving.
"Some nonprofits held back, but positive figures from The Blackbaud
Index and Giving USA in the past year, though not necessarily
experienced by all organizations, should encourage them to increase
their activities to reach out more assertively," he said.
Yunker cautioned, however, that although indices and reports help
nonprofit leaders and donors understand trends, they are not a magic
eight ball. Organizations need to work creatively and innovatively in
sharing their messages with donors; to the extent organizations do that,
they can raise funds even in periods of slower giving. If they do not do
that, they are not likely to raise funds in periods when other
organizations see growth.
"Despite the dip this month [March vs. February] in The Blackbaud Index,
I continue to be pleasantly optimistic," said Yunker. "But depending on
the community and the organization, not everyone may share that
optimism. To some this news is an incentive to work smarter. Overall,
Blackbaud's Index suggests from the past year that the cloud may be
passing."
Visit www.blackbaud.com/blackbaudindex
for further information on The Blackbaud Index and additional industry
subsets, for monthly updates on the 1st (or next business
day) or to subscribe to email or text alerts, and to download the latest
report. Share your feedback at bbindex@blackbaud.com.
About Blackbaud
Serving the nonprofit and education sectors for 30 years, Blackbaud
(NASDAQ: BLKB) combines technology and expertise to help organizations
achieve their missions. Blackbaud works with more than 26,000 customers
in over 60 countries that support higher education, healthcare, human
services, arts and culture, faith, the environment, independent K-12
education, animal welfare, and other charitable causes. The company
offers a full spectrum of cloud-based and on-premise software solutions
and related services for organizations of all sizes including:
fundraising, eMarketing, social media, advocacy, constituent
relationship management (CRM), analytics, financial management, and
vertical-specific solutions. Using Blackbaud technology, these
organizations raise more than $100 billion each year. Recognized as a
top company by Forbes, InformationWeek, and Software Magazine and
honored by Best Places to Work, Blackbaud is headquartered in
Charleston, South Carolina and has employees throughout the US, and in
Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United
Kingdom. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com.
Forward-looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations,
and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking
statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although
Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking
statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from
the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other
important factors that could cause results to differ materially include
the following: general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased
business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in
sales growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other
risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with successful
implementation of multiple integrated software products; the ability to
attract and retain key personnel; risks related to our dividend policy
and share repurchase program, including potential limitations on our
ability to grow and the possibility that we might discontinue payment of
dividends; risks relating to restrictions imposed by the credit
facility; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and
implementation cycles, particularly in larger organization;
technological changes that make our products and services less
competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in
the SEC (News - Alert) filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of
charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov
or upon request from Blackbaud's investor relations department. All
Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.
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