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Keywords

nonprofit fundraising, social media marketing, return on investment (ROI), measurement and attribution, fundraising analytics

Abstract

This article examines a nonprofit measurement problem that appears when social media is used to support fundraising but the organization cannot clearly connect that activity to a measurable financial result. The article draws on a non-experimental quantitative survey of 106 participants in roles tied to marketing, sales, or revenue reporting. The findings showed that social media use was common, but visibility into spending, formal ROI tracking, and end-to-end attribution was often weak. Seventy percent of respondents who answered the spend question did not know their organization's annual social media spend, 59 percent of respondents who answered the ROI question said their organization did not track financial ROI, and only 31 percent of respondents who answered the attribution question said a sale could be tracked from a social media post through final closure. For nonprofits, the practical implication is clear: when social media is used for fundraising, leaders need a defined campaign objective, a simple tracking path, and reporting that ties visible activity to a measurable donor or revenue outcome.

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