The good news: Email list sizes are up by 15%. Online revenue grew by 21% over 2011 totals, with only the International sector seeing a decline in online giving. Monthly giving programs in particular have seen explosive growth, with revenue growing by 43%. These top-line numbers show online programs are attracting a larger audience and generating more donations than ever before. There is real reason to celebrate.

And what about social media? If you’ve been paying attention to trends in the past few years, or really been online at all, the top-line findings for social media probably won’t surprise you. Organizations keep attracting more Fans and Followers—Twitter Followers in particular increased at a tremendous rate, with 264% growth over the past year. Despite this growth, email lists continue to dominate in size. For every 1,000 email subscribers, groups in this study have 149 Facebook Fans and 53 Twitter Followers.

And there’s more. The data this year also tells a second story about email performance, and you should put away your party hats for this one. Email response rates (the percentage of email recipients who took the main action in the email) were down in 2012. Way down, particularly for fundraising messages. Less so for advocacy messages, but still a noticeable decline.

The changes were not consistent across sectors—Rights and International groups suffered the largest drops, and we’ll get to the detailed numbers for this (and so much more) later in the study. But the important thing is this: Lower response rates, whether driven by drops in click-through rates (the percentage of message recipients who click on a link in the message) or donation page completion rates (the percentage of people who click on a link who then complete the donation form), have real implications for email program performance.

The Benchmarks Study is a partnership that relies on contributions, cooperation, and insight from a great many people. This year, 55 nonprofit study partners generously shared their data and their time, The 2013 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study was written by Will Valverde and Cameron Lefevre of M+R Strategic Services and Annaliese Hoehling of the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN).

This post is based on the 2013 eNonprofit Benchmark Study, check out the whole study here.

Various organizations, including charity:water, UNICEF and Water For People, have led the way in using social media to advocate for improved access to safe, clean water for all. Below, we explain why.

Charity: water: Twitter Fundraising Trailblazers: When Twitter first emerged into the social media scene just over six years ago, so too did a rather small organization called charity: water. The nonprofit, created by former NYC event planner Scott Harrison, was one of the first charities to successfully use social media (coupled with simplistic and powerful imagery, a compelling story, and 100% donation-driven projects) to garner millions of supporters. The organization used Twitter as a core strategy – not just a simple tactic – and the results are astonishing: millions of dollars have been raised to support nearly 6,185 projects in 19 countries, providing clean water to over 2.5 million people worldwide. Charity: water also recently launched a new site and campaign about birthdays. You can now pledge to “give up your birthday for clean water” — meaning your followers and friends’ gifts will go toward helping the 2.5 million people affected by charity: water projects around the world.

UNICEF Takes Volunteering Online and Off: Through numerous fundraising and volunteer activities (both online and off), the UNICEF Tap Project celebrates the clean water we enjoy on a daily basis by giving its celebrity, restaurant, volunteer, corporate, and government supporters an opportunity to give water back to the children around the world via the concept “When You Take Water Give Water.” During World Water Week in April, restaurants across the United States encouraged patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free. In past years, nearly 1,000 restaurants and more than 4,200 volunteers from all 50 states participated in the national campaign, making it the largest volunteer mobilization effort for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. This year, supporters created custom fundraising pages with personal videos and stories, and donated via a text-to-give program.

Water For People: Tracking On-the-Ground Progress thru Mobile Devices: Water For People is using social media and technology for more than advocacy and fundraising. The water organization is developing a tool called Akvo FLOW (Field Level Operations Watch), currently in Beta, to monitor global water projects around the world. The program uses Google Earth and Android operating system to track and collect data at wells and pumps, showing users whether sites are functioning, broken or in need of maintenance. The system was designed to provide accountability and transparency to donors and the public through fast data collection, survey flexibility, analytical tools for data-driven decision making, and map-based reporting of results.

What other companies, charities and individuals are successfully tapping into social media for clean water?

Consider this scenario. You and your two buddies are picking up a pizza and a couple of beers getting ready to fill out your NCAA National Tournament bracket. You start getting amusingly heated over who is going to make it to the Final Four. “Kentucky Wildcats!” you say. “No, no. Kansas Jayhawks!” they say. You are even willing to put money on the table to back up your team. This is where the fun begins.

You rush home, grab your laptop and log into Snoball.com. You quickly customize your bet: $5 on the line for every time the Wildcats wins, or $1 every time Doron Lamb makes a free-throw. You then pick your charity of choice – selecting Boys and Girls Club of your hometown [one of 1.6 million organizations to choose from]. Then you hit up social media, posting your new bet for friends to see on Facebook and Twitter and blasting an email to family directing them to check it out. Within minutes, you turn to your friends and say, “now your turn. Snoball it.”

Snoball is a socially-driven online charitable site that allows you to customize how, when and to whom you donate. You can choose any of your interests – whether sports, music, current events or anything in between – and create your own ‘snoball.’ The site allows for you to get friends and family involved via social media platforms and in turn, snowball your low-dollar donation into something substantial.

With the rise of social media, inevitably we are now seeing a swift growth in online charitable giving. Companies like Blackbaud (who recently purchased competitor Convio) and JustGive.org (among others) have helped pave the way for low-dollar online donations. But as social media becomes even more customizable and more personable, so too will the charitable platforms. This new wave of online giving has led to the creation of sites like Snoball.com.

Just something to think about as you start pulling your brackets together over the next couple days. Maybe it’s just an excuse to bet. Maybe you found the next Oracle Paul the octopus to find you the sure-thing win. Whatever the reason, this March consider “Snoballing” you bracket for social good.

According to the millennial donors themselves, the answer is “yes and no.” These “next gen” donors see themselves as very different from their parents and grandparents, but they also acknowledge more similarities than we might expect. The philanthropic values learned from their families drive them, and they want to be good stewards of the philanthropic legacies they stand to inherit. Next gen donors even give to some similar causes as their families. Yet they also feel excited about new innovations and ideas for change. They seek the right balance between honoring the past and improving the future.

Check out the entire study here. What do you think?

Below we share with you eight fantastic international sites that are tapping into global, digital and mobile resources to address  local challenges.

 HARASSmap

Harassmap (Arabic) is a social initiative using a SMS texting system for reporting incidences of sexual harassment in Egypt. This tool gives women a way to anonymously report incidences of sexual harassment as soon as they happen, using a simple text message from their mobile phone. By mapping SMS reports on a public website displaying location and details provided by the victim, the Advocacy Online Map creates a powerful documentation of the extent of the problem.

Lenguas Jovenes

Lenguas Jóvenes (Spanish) is an online project empowering Mexican youth to produce short cell phone films expressing their ideas for improving their education or living conditions in their community. As many targeted youth do not have a cell phone, the site asks university students to donate mobile phones with cameras so that all who wish to join the project can participate.

 Youth Ki Awaaz

YouthKiAwaaz (English), meaning “Voice of the Youth,” is an award-winning blog that serves as a platform for young people across India to express their views on issues such as environment, politics, women’s empowerment, drug abuse, child abuse, and youth leadership. Presently, YouthKiAwaaz.com (YKA) hosts over 1000 articles by 400 writers, is read by 1000+ visitors everyday, and has launched a video blog for young people to submit videos on issues as well as their activism towards those issues.

 Kherna 

Kherna (Arabic) is an Egyptian social networking platform for charities. Organizations share with their followers updates on their activities, services and progress in real-time. The site helps charitable organizations garner donations and volunteers.

AntiHIVirus

AntiHIVirus (Chinese) is an interactive site originated in China that provides entertaining, yet informative education about HIV/AIDS. The site features “Mr. HIV” and other animated characters who talk about the science and prevention of this debilitating disease.

Bell Bajao!

BellBajao! (English), meaning “Ring the Bell,” is the first Indian multimedia campaign to directly address men in the context of domestic violence. BellBajao! calls upon men and boys alike to take action and renounce the role of perpetrator or spectator in violence against women. Supported by an on-the-ground youth organization, the multimedia campaign has reached over 130 million people in India.

Fasokan

Fasokan (French) in Mali promotes local languages and cultures on his bilingual, personal blog. He introduced village people to the Internet and basic search on the Web during an educational cruise on river Niger in Mali.

Climate Change Virtual School

Climate Change Virtual School (English), created by The Development Reality Institute, is the first virtual school on climate change in Southern Africa that is run and managed by youths for youths. The four-week virtual program aims to raise awareness on the effects of climate change on development in Zimbabwe.

Share Warmth with the Elderly - Visiting shut-in residents at the nursing home seem all too reminiscent of the holidays. It’s a wonderful act of kindness that brightens up the hearts of many lonely individuals. If you can’t make it to visit our senior friends, don’t fret. Consider sending the gift of warmth by purchasing socks online and sending them to seniors who might otherwise go without. Socks for Seniors and Operation Warm Feet collect and distribute socks all around the country.

Salute a Soldier - Remember writing those Holiday cards and stuffing care packages for soldiers when you were in grade school? It’s a simple act that never goes out of style. Now you can send a warrior a thank you note or holiday greeting using Facebook. Visit the Wounded Warrior Project’s Facebook page, select the card you like and type your message. It’s an easy way to thank them for their service and sacrifice.

Host a Winter Garage Sale – January might not be the warmest time of year to host a garage sale, but you do seem to collect a lot of stuff. Consider rummaging through your house on a cold afternoon and hosting an online garage sale with eBay. Sell your unwanted items and donate 10-100% of the final sale price to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. You’ll get a tax deduction and a credit on your basic eBay selling fees, and will be able to share the joy of the holidays with kids around the country.

What other social good activities are perfect for the winter cold?

I recently embarked on a “slash and burn” unsubscribe campaign. My inbox was too hectic to be useful, my phone was buzzing with new message alerts too often for me to concentrate on my actual work. On a good day, my attention span is nothing to brag about (hugs, Social Media! I love you!). But this was making me even more squirrely than usual.

I’ve done some email marketing in my time. We did a lot of exciting things with list segmentation, but not much with testing, and it was years ago. The state of the art has evolved a great deal, and I wouldn’t call myself an expert – certainly not by 2013 standards. We knew then that our program – though successful – wasn’t as scientific as it should have been. What we did have was a great project team and the knowledge that our brand was our most valuable asset.

Essentially, I’m the most dangerous kind of subscriber – the one who thinks she knows something. And here are some thoughts that came to me as I was unsubscribing my way through my inbox.

1) Please don’t make me log in to unsubscribe.
You have my email address – all decent email delivery software knows who I am when I click unsubscribe. I usually have to do the “forgot your password?” thing, and then reset it and then log in and then unsubscribe, and by then I just want to set the whole thing on fire. What begins as a gentle desire to prune my inbox becomes seething rage.

2) Let’s part as friends.
I understand the value of “adjust your preferences” forms – encouraging people to stay on some of your lists or receive messages less frequently rather than leaving your rolls altogether. But please keep it short and make sure there is an Unsubscribe From Everything option right at the tippy top. Just let me go quietly.

3) Email is instant. You should be, too.
There is no reason why it should take 7-10 business days to remove me from your list or make other changes to my information. You’re taking advantage of the speed and impact of the medium, but you also need to be responsive. Take pride in your work and respect your subscribers even when they’re opting out. It’s the gracious thing to do.

4) Eschew surplusage.
Okay, this was also an excellent excuse to work in one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes. I had it engraved on my iPad mini (did I mention that I have an iPad mini?). But it’s also an excellent principle to abide by in email marketing. Target your message, keep it elegant, warm, pithy and grateful. Everyone on your list has better things to do than read 600 words from your CEO. Calls to action should be clear and… well… actionable. Think in terms of headlines and captions, use verbs, and get out.

5) Email is cheap. Relationships aren’t.
Just because it’s not actively illegal for you to email me, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. A lot of people justify scattershot email because of the smattering of sales or donations that may come from people they wouldn’t reach with a more targeted approach. I’d love to see a good, comprehensive study of costs in terms of brand damage and financial futures versus whatever temporary gains may be realized. This principle is even more important for organizations and charities – your reputation is everything.

Thea Joselow is a writer, editor and digital media consultant based inBethesda, Maryland. She has worked for such illustrious institutions as National Public Radio, Smithsonian Magazine, and at a strategic communications firm in Washington, D.C. Her favorite professional qualification is that for a brief time she wrote the online quiz for the Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me program. Currently, she is the head of social and digital media for Arogya World, a small but mighty nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting non-communicable disease. She is also somebody’s mother. On Twitter: @tjoselow

Our Favorite [Social Good] Things in 2012

Channeling our inner-Oprah, we’ve come up with our awe-inspiring list of favorite things in social good. It’s not an exhaustive list, but these 12 innovations are changing the face of “doing good” and are definitely worth checking out.

GOOD.is

GOOD Magazine just gave itself on online makeover. The result: Good.is, a collaborative social media platform to share ideas around charity and innovation. It’s like Facebook for Do-Gooders, where you can connect with awesome people and organizations, and engage with them around topics and issues you care about.

Social Good Summit

The Social Good Summit and Global Conversation was no ordinary conference.  This international discussion on “the role of digital technology to advance social good” extended beyond the walls of the Summit in New York City, and included panel discussions via live-feeds from China, Kenya and Somalia. Meanwhile, over 200 “meet-ups” in cities around the world – organized by Mashable‘s Meetup Everywhere platform – added thousands of diverse voices and perspectives to the dialogue.

Catapult

Catapult is a crowdfunding site for supporting projects that improve the lives of girls and women. Organizations that work to do just that can use Catapult to post projects in need of funding, so anyone in the world can donate funds to launch the project.

ShoutAbout

ShoutAbout is a new widget tool for news websites and blogs that empowers readers to do more than just “like” or comment on a post. After reading an inspiring article or post, users can now take meaningful action like making a donation, signing a petition, or other suggested calls to action.

Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA)

Talk about putting mobile technology to good use! The Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) provides free maternal health information to new and expectant mothers via mobile phones. MAMA is used in over 35 countries and has reached 101 unique organizations.

Half the Sky Movement: The Game

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Over 300 million people play online social games each month, and their demographic profile cuts across gender and age groups. In early 2013, the movement to empower women and girls continues with a new adventure on Facebook. Half the Sky Movement: The Game is inspired by the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide and brings players first to a small village in India to meet Radhika.

#waywire

Founded by Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey, #waywire seeks to empower individuals and organizations with a platform to be heard — all through video. It’s collaborative and savvy, and may just be a good alternative to curating your cause videos and content.

Hey St. Jude

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This past fall, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital released a new video on YouTube. Set to the tune of the Beatles’ iconic song “Hey Jude,” the music video features patients, hospital staff, advocates and celebrities reminding viewer to “make it better” for kids everywhere fighting cancer and other deadly diseases. And for as little as $5, you can do just that.

Cause: DC’s Philanthropub

Washington DC’s new “Philanthropub” is putting a new twist to the meaning of giving. Located in the U St. Corridor of the Nation’s Capital, CAUSE is not just a relaxed, well-designed restaurant and bar; it’s actually one of the most innovative social good business models driving revenue to local charities.

Friday5

The soon-to-be-launched Friday5 takes the stress out of giving. Each Friday, this fundraising platform will automatically take your $5 donation and direct it to a carefully-curated cause. You’ll receive a weekly email, detailing where your donation went and who it helped.

#GivingTuesday

The #GivingTuesday movement hit the U.S. and world by storm this past Thanksgiving, creating a new day on the calendar to mark the opening of the Giving Season. With more than 2,500 partnering charities, volunteer organization and corporations, thousands celebrated with volunteer projects, online fundraisers, and collections for the needy. The #GivingTuesday message was also echoed in statements from Mayors of Chicago, Philadelphia and New York, philanthropy leaders including Bill Gates, and the White House.

1:Face Watch

The 1:Face Watch, a fashion product with a humanitarian heart, empowers consumers to support one of six different global causes with every purchase, including cancer, hunger, water, the environment, AIDS, and breast cancer. Created by brand development firm Mirza Minds, the campaign launched on October 1st to rapid success on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo, after developing huge anticipation from its thousands of followers on Facebook, Twitter, and most notably, Instagram.

And then I came across this little nugget of online ingenuity: Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C)’s newly launched digital “Ugly Sweater Holiday Campaign.” Beginning December 1, donning a tacky holiday sweater will do more than just elicit chuckles from friends, family and co-workers. It will help raise critical funds for innovative, translational cancer research.

How it Works

Participation is easy and can be done in two ways. Ugly sweater owners can decide how many days between December 1 and 31 they can bear to sport their unflattering casualwear. They then sign up at SU2C.org/ugly to create their own Ugly Sweater fundraising page, where supporters can donate a “per day” amount to benefit SU2C. Another option is to host an Ugly Sweater party and ask that guests give a suggested donation via the same Ugly Sweater fundraising pages.

All proceeds raised through the Ugly Sweater campaign will go directly to funding SU2C’s groundbreaking research. SU2C brings together scientists from different disciplines across multiple institutions to collaborate on research that will deliver new therapies to patients quickly and save lives.

“This campaign gives everyone a chance to do something good while embracing a favorite holiday tradition – sporting their favorite ugly sweaters,” said Pam Williams, member of SU2C’s Executive Leadership Council. “It’s time to pull those ugly sweaters out of mothballs and put them to work at office parties, family gatherings and even at the mall. This campaign is our way of saying, ‘Hey cancer, it’s gonna get ugly.’”

Everyone participating can help raise awareness for this fundraising effort by sharing, liking and mocking the swarm of ugly sweater pictures posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #uglysweater.

Why This Matters

In America, more than 1.2 million new patients are diagnosed with cancer every year. In other words, a new cancer is diagnosed every 30 seconds in the United States. In fact, cancer accounts for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths in America. We can change that. Grab that ugly holiday sweater and make a statement this season. It may not be fashion-forward, but it will move forward the progress in much needed cancer research.

[Photo Credit: Sammy Davis Vintage]

Amnesty International Shop

Amnesty International is a global movement of people fighting injustice and promoting human rights.

Future Fortified Shop

Future Fortified is a public awareness campaign of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to help millions of women and children around the world access to the essential nutrients they need to lead healthy, enriched lives.

Oxfam International Christmas Shop

Oxfam is a global movement of people who share the belief that, in a world rich in resources, poverty isn’t inevitable.

Human Rights Campaign Online Store

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.

 St. Jude Online Gift Shop

The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.

Shop UNICEF

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF fights for the survival and development of the world’s most vulnerable children and protects their basic human rights.

World Wildlife Fund Gift Center

The world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally.