C1 Appendix

Glossary

  • Advocacy Message

    An email or SMS message that asks recipients to sign an online petition, send an email to a decision-maker, or take a similar online action. For the purposes of this Study, advocacy email does not include higher-bar actions like making a phone call or attending an event, largely because tracking offline response is inconsistent across organizations. Advocacy email rates were calculated from advocacy emails with a simple action sent to either the full file or a random sample of the full file.

  • Click-Through Rate

    Calculated as the number of people who clicked on any trackable link in an email or text message divided by the number of delivered emails or text messages. People who clicked multiple times in one message were only counted once. In other words, if a subscriber clicked on every link in a message 10 times, this was counted the same as if the subscriber had clicked once on a single link.

  • Deliverable Emails

    Only the emails that were delivered, not including the emails that are considered inactive or emails that were sent and bounced. “Delivered” email messages may land in a user’s inbox, spam folder, promotions tab, or custom folder.

  • Device Type, Desktop

    We use the definitions provided by Google Analytics to separate traffic data by device type. The “desktop” category includes any desktop or laptop computer with a screen larger than 7” in diagonal.

  • Device Type, Mobile

    We use the definitions provided by Google Analytics to separate traffic data by device type. Mobile devices are hand-held devices that include a phone.

  • Device Type, Tablet

    We use the definitions provided by Google Analytics to separate traffic data by device type. Tablet devices are mobile devices that don’t necessarily include a phone.

  • Facebook Engagement Score

    The total number of users who engage with a social media post (by liking, clicking, sharing, etc.), divided by the total number of page fans on the day the content was posted.

  • Facebook Fundraisers

    Facebook’s built-in fundraising tool that allows nonprofits and individual Facebook users to raise money directly on the platform.

  • Fans, Facebook

    People who “like” a nonprofit’s Facebook Fan page.

  • Followers, Instagram

    People who subscribe to see posts from a nonprofit’s Instagram account.

  • Followers, Twitter

    People who subscribe to receive the tweets from a nonprofit’s Twitter account.

  • Full File

    All of an organization’s deliverable email addresses, not including unsubscribed email addresses or email addresses to which an organization no longer sends email messages.

  • Fundraising Message

    An email or SMS message that only asks for a donation, as opposed to an email newsletter, which might ask for a donation and include other links. For the purposes of this Study, fundraising email only includes one-time donation asks; it does not include monthly gift asks. Fundraising email rates were calculated from all fundraising emails, regardless of whether the email went to the full file, a random sample of the file, or a targeted portion of the file.

  • Gifts per donor per year

    Average number of donations per donor in a year, excluding ongoing monthly contributions.

  • Glossary

    An alphabetical list of terms related to a specific subject, with explanations. Example: “This Glossary includes a definition of the word ‘Glossary,’ which honestly doesn’t seem necessary.” See also: Metatextuality.

  • Lead

    A new subscriber or potential source of activism, donations, or other support. See the Digital Ads discussion for more details on lead generation. Do not see the definition for Lede, which is a whole different thing.

  • Lead‍

    If you are pronouncing it like it rhymes with “red,” then it’s a soft, dense metal with atomic number 82. This is what was used to make the strips separating lines of type in old-timey printing presses. That common typesetting use for lead led to the lead part of an article being called a “lede.” It was an attempt to avoid confusion between “lead” and “lead,” but how successful at reducing confusion was it really given we are spending so much time in this glossary talking about it? See also: Lede.

  • Lede

    The opening sentence or paragraph of a news article, fundraising email, Benchmarks Study, or other important piece of writing. See also: Lead (but not Lead, which is a whole different thing).

  • List Churn

    Calculated as the number of subscribers who became unreachable in a 12-month period divided by the sum of the number of deliverable email addresses at the end of that period plus the number of subscribers who became unreachable during that period. Study participants were required to track the number of subscribers who became unreachable each month to account for subscribers both joining and leaving an email list during the 12-month period who would otherwise go uncounted.

  • Metatextuality

    Did you arrive here from the definition for “Glossary”? That’ll probably explain it better. Maybe go look there and then come back? See also: Glossary.

  • Monthly Gift

    A donation where the donor signs up once to donate on a regular schedule, typically by pledging a regular gift amount on a credit card each month. Also known as a sustaining gift.

  • Newsletters, Email

    An email with multiple links or asks, which can include fundraising or advocacy asks. Email newsletter rates were calculated from all email newsletters, regardless of whether the newsletter went to the full file, a random sample of the file, or a targeted portion of the file.

  • Online Retention, New Donor

    Of the donors that made their first-ever online gift in the previous calendar year, the percent that made an online gift in the current calendar year. Note that we count someone as “new” if they have no online donations reported before 2019.

  • Online Retention, Prior Donor

    Of the donors that made an online gift in the previous calendar year that wasn’t their first online gift, the percent that made an online gift in the current calendar year.

  • Open Rate

    Calculated as the number of HTML email messages opened divided by the number of delivered emails. Email messages that bounce are not included.

  • Organic Traffic

    Website visits generated by unpaid search results.

  • Page Completion Rate

    Calculated as the number of people who completed a form divided by the number of people who clicked on the link to get to that form. For the purposes of this Study, it was not always possible to use the number of people who clicked on a link to a specific form, so we used the number of unique clicks in the message.

  • Percentile

    The percentage of observed values below the named data point. 25% of the observations are below the 25th percentile; 75% of the observations are below the 75th percentile. The values between the 25th percentile and the 75th percentile are the middle 50% of the observed values and represent the normal range of values.

  • Response Rate

    Calculated as the number of people who took the main action requested by an email or text message divided by the number of delivered messages.

  • Twitter Engagement Rate

    The total number of users who engage with a post (by liking, clicking, sharing, etc.), divided by post reach.

  • Unique Clicks

    The number of people who clicked on any trackable link in an email message, as opposed to the number of times the links in an email were clicked. If a subscriber clicked on every link in a message 10 times, this is counted as 1 unique click. It is also counted as 1 strange person.

  • Unsubscribe Rate

    Calculated as the number of individuals who unsubscribed in response to an email message divided by the number of delivered emails.

  • View-Through Revenue

    Revenue from donors who made a donation (typically within 30 days) of seeing, but not clicking on, an ad. For example, a supporter who sees a banner ad and later goes directly to the nonprofit’s website to make a gift.

  • Website Donation Page Conversion Rate

    Calculated from the number of donations to a participant’s main donation page, divided by the number of unique pageviews of that page. We included only unique pageviews for the one-time donation page, if a separate donation page existed for monthly gifts.

  • Website Page Load Time

    The number of seconds before a page appears to be visually complete, as measured by the WebPageTest tool at http://webpagetest.org.

  • Website Revenue per Visitor

    Calculated as the total revenue from one-time online gifts, plus the value of initial monthly gifts, divided by the total number of website visitors for the year. Depending on retention, the long-term value of monthly gifts may be substantially higher.

  • Website Visitors per Month

    The number of monthly unique visitors to a participant’s main website.

    • Participants

    9

    Cultural

    34

    Disaster/ International Aid

    47

    Environmental

    40

    Health

    18

    Hunger/Poverty

    7

    Public Media

    20

    Rights

    22

    Wildlife/Animal Welfare

    21

    Other

    Cultural

    • American Museum of Natural History
    • Art Fund
    • Arts Alliance Illinois
    • California Academy of Sciences
    • Central Park Conservancy
    • Hillel International
    • Lyric Stage Company of Boston
    • National Trust for Historic Preservation
    • St. Joseph’s Indian School


    Disaster/International Aid

    • Action Against Hunger
    • American Red Cross
    • Amref Health Africa UK
    • Anera
    • Blood:Water
    • British Red Cross
    • Christian Aid
    • CMMB - Healthier Lives Worldwide
    • FINCA International
    • HIAS
    • International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
    • International Rescue Committee
    • Islamic Relief UK
    • MAG
    • Mercy Corps
    • Oxfam America
    • Oxfam GB
    • Pathfinder International
    • Plan International UK
    • Practical Action
    • Root Capital
    • Save the Children
    • ShelterBox
    • Sightsavers
    • The ONE Campaign
    • Unicef Uk
    • USA for UNHCR
    • WaterAid
    • Women Deliver
    • Women for Women International UK
    • Women for Women International US
    • World Food Program USA
    • World Jewish Relief
    • World Vision UK


    Environmental

    • 1000 Friends of Oregon
    • 350.org
    • Alliance for the Great Lakes
    • Appalachian Voices
    • Canadian Freshwater Alliance
    • Chesapeake Climate Action Network
    • Conservation Colorado
    • Conservation International
    • Conservation Voters of PA
    • Dogwood BC
    • Ecojustice
    • Food & Water Watch
    • Friends of the Earth
    • Friends of the Earth UK
    • Greenbelt Alliance
    • Greenpeace Canada
    • Greenpeace UK
    • Izaak Walton League of America
    • League of Conservation Voters
    • Michigan League of Conservation Voters
    • Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
    • Mono Lake Committee
    • Monterey Bay Aquarium
    • Mystic River Watershed Association
    • National Audubon Society
    • National Geographic Society
    • National Park Foundation
    • National Parks Conservation Association
    • Natural Resources Council of Maine
    • Natural Resources Defense Council
    • New Jersey LCV
    • North Carolina League of Conservation Voters
    • NRDC Action Fund
    • Oceana
    • Overton Park Conservancy
    • Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
    • Rainforest Trust
    • Rare
    • Riverkeeper
    • Surfrider Foundation
    • The Trust for Public Land
    • The Wilderness Society
    • The Wilderness Society Action Fund
    • Union of Concerned Scientists
    • Washington Trails Association
    • Waterkeeper Alliance
    • World Resources Institute


    Health

    • Action on Smoking and Health
    • American Cancer Society
    • American Heart Association
    • American Kidney Fund
    • American Lung Association
    • Anthony Nolan
    • Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities
    • Autism Speaks
    • BC Cancer Foundation
    • Ben - Motor & Allied Trades Benevolent Fund
    • Boston Children’s Hospital Trust
    • Breast Cancer Now
    • Cancer Research Institute
    • Cancer Research UK
    • Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
    • Children’s Mercy Hospital
    • Colorado Children’s Campaign
    • Colorectal Cancer Alliance
    • Dementia UK
    • Einstein Healthcare Network
    • Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity
    • Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation
    • Leukaemia UK
    • Maggie’s
    • March of Dimes
    • MND Association
    • Muscular Dystrophy Association
    • Pharmacist Support
    • POGO - Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario
    • Prostate Cancer UK
    • RNLI
    • Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland &
    • Northwest Indiana
    • Samaritans
    • Teesside Hospice
    • The Leprosy Mission England and Wales
    • The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
    • Tommy’s
    • United Way of Greater St. Louis
    • Versus Arthritis
    • White Ribbon Alliance


    Hunger/Poverty

    • Alameda County Community Food Bank
    • Caring in Bristol
    • Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
    • Child Poverty Action Group
    • Crisis UK
    • East Texas Food Bank
    • Feeding America
    • Feeding the Gulf Coast
    • Freestore Foodbank
    • Friends of the Children
    • Greater Chicago Food Depository
    • Greater Cleveland Food Bank
    • Maryland Food Bank
    • Meals on Wheels America
    • Share Our Strength
    • Shelter
    • Tearfund
    • Union Gospel Mission (Vancouver)


    Public Media

    • KERA
    • KNKX
    • KQED
    • Louisville Public Media
    • NET - Nebraska’s PBS & NPR Stations
    • WETA
    • WVIK FM, Quad Cities NPR


    Rights

    • Amnesty International UK
    • Amnesty International USA
    • Anti-Slavery International
    • Children’s Defense Fund
    • Courage California
    • Dignity In Dying
    • Florida Immigrant Coalition
    • GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)
    • Jewish Voice for Peace
    • NARAL Pro-Choice America
    • National Council of Jewish Women
    • National Women’s Law Center
    • OutRight Action International
    • Physicians for Human Rights
    • Planned Parenthood Federation of America
    • Presente.org
    • Reprieve
    • Right To Play
    • Scope
    • The Education Trust


    Wildlife/Animal Welfare

    • Animal Humane Society
    • Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
    • BC SPCA
    • Best Friends Animal Society
    • Brooke
    • Cats Protection
    • Compassion in World Farming
    • Dogs Trust
    • Endangered Species Coalition
    • Humane Society International
    • International Fund for Animal Welfare
    • National Wildlife Federation
    • People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
    • Rise for Animals
    • Ruff Start Rescue
    • Shedd Aquarium
    • SPCA of Texas
    • The Humane League
    • The Humane Society of the United States
    • The International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council
    • World Animal Protection
    • World Wildlife Fund

    Other

    • Sesame Workshop
    • SMART Reading
    • AFL-CIO
    • Age UK
    • Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits
    • American Friends Service Committee
    • Boys & Girls Clubs of America
    • Chicago Council on Global Affairs
    • Civil Air Patrol
    • Communications Workers of America
    • Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
    • Global Zero
    • MoveOn
    • National Consumer Law Center
    • People For the American Way
    • Project On Government Oversight
    • Refuge
    • RNID
    • The Council of Canadians
    • Win Without War
    • Youth Challenge

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