Don't Just Read Giving USA. Use It.
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Every summer, Giving USA’s annual report gives us a fresh look at the state of philanthropy. Many nonprofit leaders ask, What does this mean for us? It's an important question, but the one that helps drive decisions is, What should we do with this information?
As the most comprehensive report on philanthropic giving in our nation, Giving USA helps us understand where philanthropy has been, where it's moving and what broader trends are shaping the sector. While it doesn't necessarily tell you exactly what your organization should do, it does provide something every leader needs: context, grounded in real data. I believe this leads to the most impactful decisions we can make in the work to drive mission impact.
I encourage nonprofit leaders to read the report AND take the next step to discuss its implications with your team. This helps us resist the temptation to make decisions based on opinions, isolated headlines or the latest fundraising trends making the rounds on LinkedIn. Instead, use data to pressure-test your development results and consider it alongside your implementation work to fine-tune your strategy.
Next month, I'm hosting a free webinar to share Giving USA's findings, and I hope you'll join. Today, I want to highlight a few themes that I believe are worthy of your attention.
Overall giving reached a new milestone. Americans gave an estimated $617.2 billion to charity in 2025, which is the first time total giving has surpassed $600 billion. Even after accounting for inflation, giving increased by 3 percent, reinforcing the long-term resilience of philanthropy despite economic uncertainty.
Individuals remain philanthropy's largest source of support. While foundations, corporations and bequests all play important roles, individual donors continue to account for nearly two-thirds of all charitable giving. For most nonprofits, building and retaining strong individual donor relationships remains one of the most reliable long-term strategies.
Planned giving deserves renewed attention. Bequest giving experienced the strongest growth of any giving source at nearly 20 percent over the previous year. Coupled with the knowledge that the Great Wealth Transfer is here (though it may impact nonprofits differently than we initially thought), this trend reinforces the importance of making legacy giving a visible, intentional part of your fundraising strategy.
Economic conditions still matter. Strong investment markets continued to support charitable giving, particularly among major donors and foundations. As always, philanthropy does not operate in isolation, so economic forces influence donor capacity and confidence more than any single fundraising tactic. We must look at giving trends over time and consider them alongside broader economic conditions before changing strategy.
It’s not just the same old story. Although we’ve continually seen an increase in philanthropic support over the years, there are other factors to consider. For example, we know from broader philanthropic research that the number of households reporting charitable giving has been declining. In other words, more charitable dollars are coming from fewer donors. Leaders must invest in donor retention and mid-level donor strategies, engage younger generations in all forms of philanthropy and come together to help ensure a culture of generosity reignites across the country. To learn more about this, take a look at the Generosity Commission’s report here and know that The Giving Institute is taking this focus seriously, but the work ahead is for all of us!
The Giving USA findings are encouraging, but they also remind us that data is only valuable if we use it wisely. The report gives leaders the context they need to ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and make decisions grounded in evidence. My hope is that a thorough review and discussion of the report helps you with just that.
As you interpret the findings and consider what they mean for your organization, I offer a few words of caution:
Movement isn’t always progress. When uncertainty shows up, the instinct is often to change something, whether it's a new event, a different message, a shift in priorities or a completely new fundraising strategy. Sometimes that's exactly what's needed, but often, consistency and discipline to stick to the plan are needed more. A pivot isn't a strategy. It's a response, and every response should have a reason behind it.
In times of uncertainty, leading practices become your anchor. The organizations that weather changing times the best are the ones that stay disciplined. They continue investing in donor relationships, communicate consistently, evaluate results, make informed adjustments and keep executing the fundamentals that have always driven long-term success.
The best questions to ask yourself are:What does the data actually tell us? Is this a temporary fluctuation or a longer-term trend? Is this unique to our organization, or are we seeing something across the sector? Ask these questions,paired with your own fundraising results, donor retention numbers, campaign performance and strategic plan.
Healthy organizations should absolutely evolve when necessary. They should test new ideas, embrace innovation and adapt when the evidence suggests it.
Ultimately, Giving USA’s Annual Report 2026 is an incredibly valuable report, but not because it tells us what to do. It is valuable because it helps us ask better questions. The strongest nonprofit leaders will always combine national trends with their own organizational data, strategic priorities and mission. When they lead with both context and discipline, they position organizations to make better decisions and create greater impact for the communities we serve.
If you'd like to explore these findings in greater depth, I hope you'll join M. Gale's free webinar. You can register here, or simply reach out to me directly. As Co-Chair of The Giving Institute's Generosity Committee, I always enjoy conversations about what these trends mean for nonprofit leaders.
Yours in Generosity,
Laura Hutyra
As President, Laura Hutyra is a results-driven leader focused on M. Gale team collaboration and operational goals across all of the company’s departments. Laura also serves as a consultant to help clients navigate organizational and fundraising solutions that maintain mission promises. She is a seasoned campaign fundraiser, with experience managing multi-million dollar campaigns.