Global NGO technology report reveals online technology usage in Europe

Nonprofit Tech for Good has published its annual Global NGO Tech Report, covering 5,352 NGOs in 164 countries and six continents, summarising how NGOs worldwide use online technology.

One in five respondents were from Europe according to the report, which is sponsored by the Public Interest Registry and researched by Nonprofit Tech for Good. The 2018 Global NGO Tech Report questioned 1,021 European NGOs in 41 countries with the majority based in the UK (24%), Spain (14%), Portugal (9%), Switzerland (7%), and Germany (6%).

The top five causes represented in this year’s report were: children and youth (13%), community development (10%), education (10%), international development and relief (10%), and health and safety (9%).

Key European findings

– 97% of NGOs in Europe have a website. Of those, 86% are mobile compatible.

– 59% of NGOs in Europe accept online donations on their website. Of those, 74% accept credit card payments. 59% accept PayPal. 57% accept direct debit payments. 5% accept digital wallet payments. 1% accept Bitcoin.

– 35% utilise an online peer-to-peer fundraising service.

– 26% participate in #GivingTuesday.

Text & email

57% of NGOs in Europe regularly send email updates and fundraising appeals to supporters and donors. Of those, 59% use an email marketing service. 16% send email via their CRM. 8% send email using the Bcc field. 9% send email through another method and 8% don’t know.

11% regularly send text messages to supporters and donors. Of those, 50% also utilise a text-to-give service for SMS fundraising.

Social media

94% of NGOs in Europe have a Facebook Page and 30% have a Facebook Group. 80% have a Twitter Profile. 58% have a LinkedIn Page and 18% have a LinkedIn Group. 45% have an Instagram Profile. Other social media used are: 64% YouTube, 23% Google+, 11% Flickr and Vimeo, 10% Pinterest, 2% Tumblr, 1% Reddit, and 1% Weibo.

17% use messaging apps to communicate with supporters and donors. Of those, 65% use WhatsApp. 57% use Facebook Messenger. 3% use Snapchat, Viber, and WeChat. 2% use LINE and Signal.

Data

39% use CRM software to track donations and manage communications with supporters and donors. Of those, 57% use a cloud-based CRM.

40% use encryption technology to protect data and communications. Of those, 31% to protect organization information. 26% to protect donor information. 23% to protect the privacy of email communications. 11% to protect the privacy of mobile communications.

Global results

In comparison, globally, 63% of NGOS regularly send email updates and fundraising appeals to supporters and donors, and 72% accept donations on their website. 33% use an online peer-to-peer fundraising service with 33% of donors worldwide having donated to a peer-to-peer campaign. 47% participate in #GivingTuesday.

With 99% now having a website, 93% are on Facebook, with 41% having used it to report live from an event or to showcase their work. 77% are on Twitter, and 50% are on Instagram, with 71% agreeing that social media is effective for online fundraising. 18% use messaging apps to communicate with supporters and donors with 64% using WhatsApp and 58% Facebook Messenger.