Donor expectations for driving measurable impact with technology

Technology is rapidly advancing, creating both great opportunities and great needs in the nonprofit sector. As donor expectations change with the digital landscape, nonprofits face an increasingly urgent need for technology that can align with and enable their organization’s mission.

Microsoft Tech for Social Impact is working to understand how technology can be used to demonstrate and drive impact. To do this, Microsoft surveyed over 2200 individual donors, volunteers, or funding decision-makers to understand how they make decisions on which organizations to support, understand supporter expectations on non-profit efficiency, and expectations on how nonprofits should be using technology to drive efficiency and impact.

The data gathered in this global survey showed:

• People who contribute money, or time, to non-profits, are overwhelmingly looking for the organizations which will drive not only the most impact but the most measurable impact from their contributions.
• These donors, volunteers, and funders view technology as a fundamental component of a well-functioning organization.
• A majority of funding decision-makers (93%) now see technology expenditures as an investment toward impact.