The latest data from Giving USA revealed that Americans gave a record $617.20 billion to charity in 2025, the first time giving has ever topped $600 billion. Across the nonprofit sector, the news set off a wave of celebration, and this generosity certainly deserves the awe it inspires.
However, for many nonprofit leaders, this record giving in current dollars doesn’t match what they are living day to day. Countless organizations are watching donor counts drop, running leaner teams, and fielding board questions about why their results look different.
Note: Giving USA 2026 reports on calendar year 2025 in current dollars.
What Does the Giving USA 2026 Headline Actually Mean?Â
Before we look at whether that generosity is reaching nonprofits and reaching them evenly, here is where the giving came from during 2025:
- Individuals gave $394.2 billion, up 4.1%
- Foundations gave $117.15 billion, up 5.7%
- Bequests reached $62.19 billion, up 19.7%, the fastest-growing source of the year
- Corporations gave $43.67 billion, up 3.1%
Here are the major categories where donors gave:
- Religion led all sectors at $151.58 billion
- Human services drew $99.50 billion, up 5.3%
- Education posted $92.01 billion, up 11.7%, the strongest gain of any large category
- Giving to grantmaking foundations ($79.05 billion) fell 16.2%, the only category to decline after reaching a high in 2024
Two realities are buried inside these numbers. Together, they create a gap between what Americans gave and what nonprofits received.
- First, a growing share of charitable dollars is flowing into donor-advised funds. While these gifts count as contributions in the year they are set aside, they may sit for years before reaching a nonprofit. That means a dollar committed to a fund today is not a dollar on the books of a food bank, clinic, or arts program this year. This can create a lag between the time a gift is committed and the time a nonprofit receives spendable support.
- Second, while total giving is up, fewer people are giving. Data from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project shows that the number of everyday donors continues to shrink, while a smaller and wealthier group gives more and more. Consider that one donor, MacKenzie Scott, gave approximately $7 billion in 2025, roughly one-third of all megagifts made in the United States that year. Add Michael Bloomberg, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Susan and Michael Dell, and a handful of households account for a striking share of the year’s growth. What this tells us is that record current-dollar giving in 2025 consists of fewer, larger gifts rather than a broad base of grassroots support that community nonprofits depend on for long-term sustainability.
Four Considerations to Inform Your Fundraising Strategy
As you review the latest data and plan your fundraising strategy, consider these four points:
1. Focus on retention and acquisition.Â
Look at donor retention and first-time donor numbers, not just total revenue. Those metrics tell you whether your base is growing or hollowing out beneath a few large gifts.
2. Have a real conversation with your board about planned giving.Â
The wealth transfer underway means bequests are likely to keep climbing, and if it fits your mission and donor relationships, now is the time to build an intentional planned giving strategy.
3. Stay abreast of tax and policy changes that may impact when donors give.Â
Rule changes influence when and how people give. Staying ahead of them helps you plan campaigns and appeals with sharper timing.
4. Invest in the people who build and strengthen relationships.Â
Major gift officers and your mid-level managers who steward donor relationships are essential to your organization’s future. In a landscape defined by fewer, more discerning donors, they are the difference between a relationship that deepens and one that lapses.
Building the Capacity to Respond
The common thread through all of this is capacity. The nonprofits that succeed will have leaders and fundraisers who know how to read the signals, ask the right questions, and act on what they find.
As your partner, the Nonprofit Leadership Center is here to support you and your organization in building the knowledge, skills, confidence, and capacity to lead and fundraise with excellence. Join us for an upcoming fundraising course or certificate program. Or contact us about custom training or coaching personalized for your team.
