At JVA Consulting, we are always collecting research about fundraising and what works. Here are some of our favorite facts about individual donors.

Looking at these drives us to one clear conclusion: This is why nonprofits should make sure fundraising efforts target individual donors, especially in these tough times.

• Charitable giving (from all reported sources) totaled $307.65 billion in 2008
• 7 out of 10 Americans give to charity
• 77 percent of donors give to six or more organizations
• 77 percent of donors give to a cause that personally affects them or someone in their family
• 82 percent of charitable gifts come from households earning under $90,000 per year
• 73 percent of donors say that they could give more

When you look at these facts, what stands out? One of the things that always strikes us is the large percentage of donors that give to more than one organization (which means, they might give to yours as well), as well as the large percentage of charitable gifts that come from households earning under $90,000 per year.

How can you use these facts to think differently about your fundraising program?