1、12The Joy of BenchmarkingWell,the annual M+R Benchmarks Study is not that.The reality,difficult to swallow though it may be,is that our work and our world are much too complex to allow for such a prescriptive approach.The methods for cooking up a successful digital program are as individual and vari

2、ed as the methods to make curry,or pho,or chili.So,no recipe to follow,sorry(unless you want a rec-ipe for Jackfruit Barbeque Sandwiches thats on page 10).Instead we have a cornucopia of tables and charts,we have toplines and trends,we have insights to tantalize your senses and amuse your bouche.And

3、 honestly,its all a lot more exciting and a lot more useful than any set of simplified instructions.This year,Benchmarks is informed by the complicated,diverse,sometimes messy experiences of 215 nonprofits.Our won-derful participants shared the details of almost 5.4 billion email and SMS messages,68

4、1 million website visits,374 thou-sand social media posts,and so much more.The findings in this years Benchmarks represent the creativ-ity and craft of nonprofit staff who strive every day to reach and expand audiences.They also reflect the core values and changing tastes of millions of supporters w

5、ho react,click,share,take action,and donate to causes of all types.They re-veal the ongoing evolution of digital channels that are increas-ingly the centerpiece of marketing,advocacy,and fundraising for nonprofits.Theres a lot here,and if you take the time to taste everything,you are sure to find so

6、me delicious new insight and inspira-tion.We certainly have.Wouldnt it be nice if there was a single recipe for nonprofit success?All the ingredi-ents listed in pre-cise proportions,the techniques and methods laid out just so.Follow the steps,one by one,then set it and forget it and presto!A growing