Nonprofit Tech for Good and Public Interest Registry Release Inaugural "NGO Online Technology Report"

RESTON, Va., April 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nonprofit Tech for Good and Public Interest Registry, the not-for-profit operator of the .org, .ngo and .ong domains, have announced findings of the inaugural "2016 Global NGO Online Technology Report" which uncovers how non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are using digital tools to communicate with their supporters. In addition to revealing how NGOs' online communications, online fundraising, and social media usage vary by continent, the report includes insights collected from donors on their giving preferences to help NGOs to optimize their own fundraising strategies.

The report details the findings from a survey of 2,780 NGO representatives from 133 countries conducted in late 2015. While digital platforms and social media are popular with NGOs in Australia & Oceana, Europe and North America, the survey found that NGOs in markets with a growing Internet infrastructure – including Africa, Asia and South America – are not using these tools as frequently. Other findings include:

• 90 percent of NGO respondents maintain a website and 70 percent of respondents use a .org domain
• Three-fourths of NGO respondents stated that they regularly send email updates to donors and supporters
• 46 percent of respondents stated that they maintain their own blogs
• 78 percent of respondents agreed that social media is effective for online fundraising
• While nearly all NGO respondents maintain a presence on social media, only 11 percent of respondents assign a full-time or part-time social media manager and 15 percent of respondents rely solely on volunteers

"There are myriad of digital tools available to NGOs around the world that can be used to engage the public. What we found in our research, however, is that economic and political factors and the quality of Internet infrastructure in each region affects how NGOs use these tools and how donors in each region respond to them," said Nonprofit Tech for Good founder Heather Mansfield. "This worldwide research report was a huge undertaking, but a necessary one as the NGO sector becomes more diverse and global in scope."

The report also includes insights from 355 donors from 27 countries who were surveyed about their giving preferences. Despite generational differences, many donors are evolving their giving behavior as they become more adept and have more trust in online technology:

• 62 percent of respondents prefer giving through online channels while 23 percent prefer direct mail and six percent prefer mobile apps or text message
• While Millennials are most inspired to give by social media content (43 percent), email content was cited as being most inspirational to Gen Xers (26 percent) and Baby Boomers (30 percent)

"Until now, there has been very little research on how effectively NGOs are using technology on a global scale," said Public Interest Registry CEO Brian Cute. "Alongside Nonprofit Tech for Good, we at Public Interest Registry sought to address this gap and provide NGOs with the resources and insights they need to strengthen their online presence. Ultimately, while NGOs of all sizes are always looking for new ways to engage their followers and the public online, the 2016 Global NGO Online Technology Report found that having a solid website is still one of the most crucial aspects in gaining trust from your donors."

For more information on the survey's findings and to download the full report, please visit: http://www.techreport.ngo/

About Nonprofit Tech for Good
With 100,000 monthly visitors and more than one million followers on social networks, Nonprofit Tech for Good is a leading social and mobile media resource for nonprofit professionals. Created and managed by Heather Mansfield, Nonprofit Tech for Good focuses on providing valuable, easy-to-understand information, news, and resources related to nonprofit technology, online communications, and mobile and social fundraising.

About Public Interest Registry
Public Interest Registry is a nonprofit organisation that operates the .org top-level domain — the world's third largest "generic" top-level domain with more than 10.5 million domain names registered worldwide – and the newly launched .ngo and .ong domains and OnGood community website. As an advocate for collaboration, safety and security on the Internet, Public Interest Registry's mission is to empower the global noncommercial community to use the Internet more effectively, and to take a leadership position among Internet stakeholders on policy and other issues relating to the domain naming system. Public Interest Registry was founded by the Internet Society (internetsociety.org) in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA.

Contact:
Michael Lock
(202) 223-9260
[email protected]

SOURCE Public Interest Registry

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