The digital landscape is changing faster than a UFO skimming across the ocean’s surface.
Nonprofit organizations find themselves at the intersection of shifting user behavior, evolving technology and internal transformations in the marketing and communication tools they use. To keep pace, it’s crucial to understand the trends driving these changes and what they mean for your fundraising strategies.
Our digital experts at RKD Group have identified three major trends that you need to know as we enter 2025. We’ll unpack them in this blog post.
1. User behavior: The evolution of engagement
Generally speaking, people don’t wake up and suddenly change their behavior. It happens gradually—which makes it difficult to notice in a short time frame. But when you step back further, you can see some big differences.
Here are some of the broader shifts in user behavior in 2024:
- Social media migration: Social media usage is splintering. Since Elon Musk’s purchase and rebranding of Twitter to X in 2022, the platform has lost roughly 9% of its users (now 338M). Those who left have migrated to platforms like Threads (275M users) and BlueSky (20M users). Meanwhile, younger audiences are ditching Facebook (and even Google) in favor of TikTok and Instagram.
- The rise of video and authenticity: Video consumption is surging across all platforms. Donors want authenticity, preferring unscripted, real-time content that feels relatable and engaging. This has coincided with the rise of TikTok and Instagram, and it also includes YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat.
- The shifting search landscape: Google has long been the king of search, but heavy is the head that wears the crown. The tech giant must now contend with new rivals, including voice assistants, generative AI and even those aforementioned social videos. In response, Google announced a partnership with Reddit in 2024 to bring more community-oriented content into its search results.
How should your nonprofit adjust to these behavioral trends? Here are a few suggestions from RKD’s digital experts, including Julia Patterson and Mitchell Chokas:
- Identify the platforms that make the most sense for your organization and your supporters. There are LOTS of options out there now, and it’s not practical to be on all of them. It will take trial and error (and a bit of patience) to find the right fit.
- Lean into storytelling that fosters emotional connection and trust. Be authentic, and be you. People want to feel that connection to your cause, so give them a great thread to follow.
- Adapt your content and SEO strategies to include platforms that support user-driven content discovery while addressing the challenges of zero-click searches and AI-powered assistants like Siri with ChatGPT integration.
2. Changes to tech platforms: Navigating the ‘new’
In addition to user behavior, many of the digital platforms we rely on for donor outreach and engagement are changing how they operate, creating new opportunities and challenges.
Consider the following:
- Email marketing evolution: Privacy updates, such as Apple and Google’s email-hiding features, are reshaping how you reach supporters. Inboxes are also changing, sorting emails into different tabs and providing AI summaries for users.
- Digital media’s attribution dilemma: Direct attribution is becoming more difficult to pin down as privacy concerns and multi-platform interactions blur the donor journey. Apple’s recent iOS updates have allowed users to easily opt out of tracking, creating a big gap between the perceived effectiveness and the actual effectiveness of advertising on platforms like Facebook.
- The power of AI: We can’t talk about new technology without addressing AI. From generating optimized content to improving ad targeting, AI tools can be used to enhance efficiency and creativity across a host of platforms and channels. This new technology also continues to grow and adapt, including the launch of Apple’s new ChatGPT integration with Siri.
How should your nonprofit adjust to the latest tech changes? Here are a few suggestions from RKD’s digital experts, including Jenn Thompson, Emily Ajalla and Kord Hickson:
- Craft concise, compelling emails that stand out. Subject lines that grab attention are a start, but personalization at scale will also be critical. Now's the time to start thinking about audiences first and adapting language and asks based on demographics, donor history, likeliness to give again, etc.
- Embrace broader measurement frameworks that take the full donor journey into account. Focus on omnichannel strategies that integrate digital media with direct mail and other traditional approaches.
- Don’t be afraid of AI. It’s a tool that you can use with a thoughtful approach to ensure it aligns with your organizational values and donor expectations. The new wave of AI is tremendously helpful in fulfilling the constant need for more content that gets and holds users’ attention.
3. Internal changes: Upgrading marcom tech
As digital platforms evolve, nonprofits are rethinking their marcom technology stacks to stay competitive and deliver seamless donor experiences.
- Consolidating systems: Nonprofits are moving toward unified platforms to improve data sharing, reporting and automation. Roughly 3 in 4 nonprofits now include technology in their organization’s strategic plan.
- Adopting data-centric tools: Tools that emphasize audience segmentation, personalized messaging and donor lifecycle management are becoming the norm, and these tools all rely on data. The number of organizations placing a priority on data and data systems has nearly doubled, from 22% prior to 2020 to 43% in 2023-24.
- Investment in training is lacking: New tools require new skills to use them properly. Yet training makes up just 1% of technology budgets. Nonprofits are investing in technology projects, but they are underinvesting in success.
How should your nonprofit adapt your tools to succeed in today’s marketplace? Jeffrey Appell, President of Heller Consulting, suggests:
- Streamline and renew your focus on repeatability. Gone are the pandemic-era experiments on new tech tools. Instead, nonprofits are figuring out what works best for their development programs and doing more of it.
- Adopt AI for efficiency, not for reducing headcount. Many of the AI use cases we’re seeing are about elevating fundraising and marketing work rather than replacing it. Leverage these agents to improve your team’s ability to get out of the minutia and make higher-order decisions.
- Aim for interoperability. Smart technology leaders are building a stack of tools that suit their purposes across platform providers. For example, we have clients who are on Raiser's Edge and are extending their capabilities with Power BI and marketing automation. Think about how your fundraising and marketing goals will evolve in the next handful of years and invest in the tools that will help you meet the task.
Looking forward
The digital space is in constant flux, but these trends offer exciting opportunities for nonprofits willing to innovate. By understanding user behavior, adapting to platform changes and upgrading internal systems, you can create stronger connections with your constituents and drive meaningful impact in 2025 and beyond.
It’s a challenging time, but as always, those who embrace change and plan strategically will thrive. Your donors are ready for the future. Are you?
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