We set out to prove one thing and found the opposite.
When building our Bene Score™ donor intelligence system, we tested whether home values and demographics could predict charitable giving. The nonprofit industry spends $500 million a year on wealth screening built on this premise.
We analyzed 2.7 million donations from 711 organizations. What we found surprised us.
In this episode:
- Why million-dollar ZIP codes only give $47 more than modest ones
- The "house rich, cash poor" phenomenon — and why Federal Reserve data confirms it
- What's 28,000 times more predictive than demographics (hint: it's free and already in your CRM)
- Why 67% of first-time donors never return — and the 30-day window that changes everything
- The engaged donor premium: why responsive donors beat autopay donors on lifetime value
The takeaway: The best way to move forward is to look backward. Your donors' history predicts their future better than any external data.
Full research: clickandpledge.com/research Questions: Research@ClickandPledge.com