Overview

2024 State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement Report

A joyful woman engages with her tablet on a bright day, enjoying the outdoor park scenery.

Overview

Digital engagement isn’t just a tool; it’s the transformative force that reshapes how organizations connect with their audiences in meaningful ways. By utilizing communication channels effectively, organizations can cultivate relationships where individuals feel truly understood and valued. This new era of individualization heralds a future where donors, students, volunteers, and constituents experience deeply personalized interactions that inspire enduring support and engagement.


In our quest to understand the transformative potential of digital engagement in the nonprofit sector, we partnered with Lawless Research to survey thousands of nonprofit employees and beneficiaries. Our inaugural 2022 State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement Report unveiled a landscape rich with opportunities for human-centered engagement. Building on these insights, our latest report shows that nonprofits are not only adopting digital communications at an unprecedented rate but are also innovating in their use of emerging technologies, such as AI, to enhance these interactions.

of nonprofits believe AI will enhance their engagement with end users

+10 increase
Red +10 on dark background with text about 10-point increase in digital engagement for nonprofits by 2025.

Methodology

This report features survey responses from 1,440 nonprofit employees and 1,500 nonprofit end users, gathered between March 21 and April 11, 2024.

For the nonprofit perspective, we had 1,440 respondents (579 from the United Kingdom and 861 from the United States) who are full-time employees of organizations with 50+ employees and served as a manager or above. All respondents work in the nonprofit sector, including healthcare and education institutions classified as 501(c)(3) organizations and the public sector. Respondents have used one or more digital channels to communicate with their end users. In most cases, their responses are aggregated to represent “All nonprofits.” Other times, we break out the data to provide specific insights tied to nonprofit healthcare, nonprofit education, the public sector, or other nonprofits classified under 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(6).

To draw insights from end users, we had 1,500 respondents (600 in the United Kingdom and 900 in the United States) who are at least 18 years of age, have accessed services from a relevant nonprofit in the past 12 months, and have used one or more digital communications channels to communicate with that organization.

Nonprofits are serious about digital engagement

What did we learn in the inaugural report? For starters, nonprofits are outpacing the rates of digital engagement reported by private sector companies. This focus on digital engagement largely came down to a belief that digital communications were essential to improving program outcomes. Within certain segments of the nonprofit space, such as education and human service nonprofits, leadership saw potential to grow their digital engagement further and set goals accordingly.

But even the most ambitious nonprofits faced headwinds. For example, we found in 2022 that a lack of software developers often limited the ability to create and support digital engagement programs, and budgetary constraints were an ever-present factor for most organizations.

Two years later, it’s time for a checkup.

How has the nonprofit sector evolved since our last report? Have organizations managed to hire the talent required to fulfill their goals? How do they view emerging, and potentially controversial technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence? Although evolution has always been the name of the nonprofit game, this year's State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement Report highlights a transformative shift in how organizations are leveraging digital tools to advance their missions and engage with their communities.

Our team once again conducted thousands of online surveys within the nonprofit sector. We’ve broadened our focus to include the digital engagement practices of various nonprofits, including healthcare and education institutions classified as 501c(3) organizations, as well as those in the public sector. Reviewing the data, we discovered how organizations are advancing their program outreach and engaging with their end users.

At Twilio.org, Twilio’s social impact division, we’ve witnessed transformational examples of engagement between nonprofits and the people who interact with them. We’re proud to empower these organizations advancing social good—from nonprofits and NGOs to universities, hospitals, and local governments—with Twilio’s Customer Engagement Platform.

 

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