Mobile technology has opened up opportunities in the nonprofit sector, from data collection to busting the global problem of human trafficking.
But as with any technological innovations, caveats apply. And this extends to the use of mobile phones for charity fundraising. Numerous apps provide organizations opportunities to raise money, but they don’t appear to be translating to significant funds for nonprofits.
Take, for example, this statistic from Blackbaud, a tech solutions provider for the nonprofit sector: Of the $14.5 billion raised by 3,983 charities in the United States in 2015, only 7.1 percent came from online giving — and only 14 percent of that was made through mobile, according to the company’s latest charitable giving report.
If people are truly living through their smartphones — using them for fitness, entertainment and work — then what could be preventing them from using the same device to give to charities?
