# Kintera's Friends Asking Friends fundraising increases 400% in a year

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2004/05/25/kintera039s-friends-asking-friends-fundraising-increases-400-year/
- Published: 2004-05-25T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

US online fundraising company Kintera has reported that volunteer fundraisers using
its “Friends Asking Friends®” (FAF) solicitation service raised more than four times
as much in the year to 31 March 2004 as they did in the year to 31 March 2003.

 

Friends Asking Friends is used by volunteer fundraisers, such as donors and those
taking part in sponsored events. It offers personalized websites and email services
that the volunteer fundraiser can use to encourage donations from friends and family.

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Volunteers can find out at any time how their campaign is progressing, with real-
time tracking of donations, and email response rates.

 

 

Kintera’s FAF study was based on transactional data, including funds raised from
donations and registrations, for two consecutive 12-month periods – the year to 
31 March 2003, and the year to 31 March 2004.

 

 

In the first period, Kintera serviced 1,559 campaigns including 1,139 that used 
FAF; the second period had 4,713 campaigns including 3,352 that used FAF. The amounts
given in the study are not the total amounts raised by these campaigns, but rather
the amounts raised, both online and offline, using Kintera’s services.

 

 

In the year to 31 March 2004, campaigns using Kintera’s FAF services raised $192
million, of which $48 million (25%) was donated online. In the year to 31 March 
2003, the figures were $93 million total and $12 million (12.6%) online.

 

 

The amount raised both online and offline by volunteers who used FAF to solicit 
increased from $14 million 2003 to $61 million in 2004. Of these, the amounts donated
online were $8 million in the first period and $32 million in the second period.

 

 

Volunteers using FAF received on average one donation for every 4.2 FAF solicitation
emails sent during 2003, and increased to one per 3.5 emails sent during 2004.

 

 

The success of Friends Asking Friends underpins a steep rise in the amount raised
using Kintera services. All nonprofit campaigns using Kintera services for the year
to 31 March 2004 raised $230 million, compared to $101 million in the same period
a year earlier.

 

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