The Australian nonprofit sector is a major one, with a reported revenue of $166 billion in the latest Australian Charities Report. In the same report from the ACNC, nonprofit and charity revenue was reported to have grown by 6.8%, which was significantly more than the average growth (2.2%) experienced by other sectors in the Australian economy during the same period.

With the nonprofit industry booming, there’s never been a better time to start fundraising for your charity, nonprofit organisation, school, sporting group, or community group. To be able to succeed in this space though, it is essential to understand what is happening within the nonprofit space, including how the industry is changing from a marketing, technology, and logistical perspective. In this article, we are going to be looking at some of the biggest trends in the nonprofit sector to watch out for in 2023.

Increased focus on diversity and inclusion

According to research by LinkedIn, diversity and inclusion roles have grown 71% over the past five years, which suggests that this is becoming a greater priority for a lot of organisations. In Australia, many nonprofit organisations are actively seeking to recruit diverse employees, investing in diversity and equity policies, supporting in-workplace wellness programs, and implementing other strategies to promote inclusivity and belonging in the workplace.

Continued support of digital wallets and online payments

Although cash and cheque giving were once the most popular types of donations, both of these types of giving have declined in popularity over recent years. Instead, more customers are opting to donate via debit or credit cards, with card payment usage increasing by 10% over the past five years according to Visa’s Payment Panel. Digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay are also becoming more popular, so more nonprofits are moving to offer online donation forms and QR code scanning that allow payments via these options. Some are even accepting payment via cryptocurrency!

Increased reliance on SMS marketing

Once upon a time, email marketing was one of the most popular marketing techniques used by nonprofits. But with so many nonprofits and businesses using email marketing as an integral part of their marketing strategy, it can be hard to make your message stand out amongst the hundreds of other emails in your receiver’s inbox. That’s why more and more nonprofits are choosing to incorporate SMS marketing as a core component of their marketing strategy. By sending engaging, high-quality SMS messages in the right quantity, you can enjoy an open rate of up to 99%.

Continued focus on social media

Over the past decade, social media has been one of the most popular forms of marketing used by nonprofits and for-profits alike – and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon! In fact, the number of social media users worldwide is reported to have increased by 4.8% from 2020 to 2021. Around 35.9% of the 3.96 billion social media users around the world are also estimated to make purchases from social media, making this the perfect platform for you to leverage for your next nonprofit campaign. Many of the social media platforms traditionally used for marketing remain popular (e.g. Instagram and Facebook), though others such as TikTok are also becoming more favoured. In fact, TikTok is believed to be one of the most commonly used and engaging social media platforms today with the average user engagement rate being 18%. Compared to Instagram (4%) and YouTube (2%), it is a must-have for your non-profit.

More personalised donation experiences

More nonprofits are also focusing on creating more personalised experiences for their donors. This is particularly important when you are targeting younger generations, with a report by the Centre for Generational Kinetics and WP Engine suggesting that 70% of Gen Z have come to expect their online experiences to be personalised to them. Some of the ways in which nonprofits can do this include personalising giving forms for repeat donors, suggesting the level of giving based on the donor’s past donations, sending thank you emails, and creating landing pages customised to the level and type of donor. Some nonprofits are even using artificial intelligence (AI) to take donor personalisation to a whole new level!

Experimenting with new ways to engage potential donors

When we think about connecting with potential donors, we tend to think of things like marketing and in-person outreach. However, many nonprofits are also exploring less conventional ways of engaging with potential donors – for example, by speaking on panels and attending events that are not specific to the nonprofit space.

Greater focus on security

According to a recent report by the Open Data Project, 27% of nonprofits globally have been victims of some form of cyberattack. Attacks on social media accounts in particular are also reported to have increased by 83% over the past year. Because of this, cybersecurity and donor data safety have become increased priorities for those operating in the nonprofit space. Some of the ways in which nonprofits are tightening up their security include introducing comprehensive cybersecurity strategies, and enabling double opt-in, captcha, two-factor authentication, and single sign-on.

Managing a nonprofit can be an overwhelming prospect – in fact, it can sometimes be impossible to know where to start! To take the hard work out of managing your nonprofit, we recommend using an all-in-one, integrated highly secure platform like SupporterHub.

Gone are the days when you needed to use a multitude of different platforms and softwares to manage your nonprofit. Instead, manage it all in one place with SupporterHub – an easy-to-use, customer-focused fundraising platform that offers end-to-end solutions that cover everything from digital fundraising, email and SMS marketing to customer relationship management (CRM).

Whether it’s automating donation receipts and thank you emails, managing regular giving and membership programs, or setting up online pages for donations, appeals, raffles, auctions, and events, we’ve got it covered. Grow your supporter base by saving every single donor, bidder, raffle participant in your CRM to retarget for your next campaign.

Above all, the SupporterHub platform makes it easy for you to create personalised, innovative, and intuitive online giving experiences for your donors – all at a low cost, allowing you to save time whilst raising more for your mission.

SupporterHub is 110% secure. The platform is a PCI DSS compliant service provider and also compliant with Australian Privacy Principles. The platform operates using a secure cloud architecture with stringent cyber risk management processes, to keep your data safe and secure.

If you’re ready to make running a nonprofit easy, find out more today at SupporterHub.com.