How to Predict Facebook Fundraiser Revenue Using Average Birthdays Per Month Data

GoodUnited
|
March 31, 2022

Getting a handle on what to expect from Facebook fundraiser revenue every month may seem like trying to hit a moving target. It is - sort of. However, these days computing power is so incredible that if you know what to look for, you can leverage data sets to find patterns. Those patterns can help you forecast a little better.

For example, FiveThirtyEight took data from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics and U.S. Social Security Administration and compiled a chart that shows how many people were born on each day of the year from 1994 to 2014.

Birthdays

If you manage Facebook fundraisers for your nonprofit, it's kind of a big deal. Here's why:

  • There are 1.45 billion Facebook users who log into Facebook every day
  • 82% of 18 - 29 year olds have Facebook accounts
  • On average, users check their accounts eight times a day
  • 75% of Facebook users make more than $75,000 a year
  • 43% say they've donated to a birthday tribute
  • Facebook fundraisers generated $300 million for nonprofits last year

This chart shows how many people were born on each day in the last twenty years. The oldest person in this data group would be 24 years old, which is right in the middle of Facebook's sweet spot. From that data we can make some educated guesses about how Facebook fundraiser revenue might rise and fall for your organization.

Nine out of 10 birthday dates are in September

That means you may see a bump in fundraisers for your nonprofit in September with the money arriving in October if you're signed up for Facebook Payments.

Holidays are the least common for birthdays

If you see fundraising activity fall off around Christmas or New Year's, don't panic.

July and August might be  the #2 and #3 busiest months

Looking at the heat map, July and August might be the busiest months for Facebook birthday fundraisers, with funds coming in around August and September.

Facebook birthday fundraisers are catching on in popularity. While there was some initial concern that users would get burned out on birthday fundraisers, the opposite is true. A vast majority of users who have given to a Facebook birthday fundraiser say they'd give again - and they actually prefer to do their charitable giving in this way.

Track your revenue from your Facebook fundraisers by month, and soon you'll be able to discern giving trends particular to your social community. Did you find that July, August, and September were busiest? Let us know!

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