WHAT GIVING USA 2026 MEANS FOR NONPROFITS

The newly released Giving USA 2026 report offers nonprofit leaders a clear message: generosity remained strong in 2025, but the way generosity is showing up is changing. For nonprofit leaders, the report reinforces the importance of strengthening major gifts, planned giving, and long-term donor relationships alongside annual giving.

Total charitable giving in the United States reached an estimated $617.2 billion in 2025, surpassing the $600 billion mark for the first time. That represents a 5.7% increase in current dollars and a 3.0% increase after adjusting for inflation.

For nonprofit leaders, the headline is encouraging. But the deeper story is more strategic: giving grew across nearly every source and recipient category, financial markets played an important role, household confidence may have tempered some giving, and bequests grew at a striking pace that may signal the timely release of the Great Wealth Transfer.

How much was given — and by whom?

• Individuals remained the largest source of charitable giving in 2025, contributing an estimated $394.2 billion. That was up 4.1% from 2024 (1.4% after inflation).
• Foundations gave an estimated $117.15 billion, up 5.7%, (3% percent after inflation).
• Corporations gave $43.67 billion, up 3.1% in current dollars, though essentially flat after inflation.
• The most notable source of growth was bequests. Giving by bequest reached an estimated $62.19 billion, up 19.7% from 2024 (16.6% after inflation). Bequests grew faster than any other source of giving in 2025.

At DBD Group, one question we often ask organizations is whether their fundraising strategy reflects where philanthropy is actually growing. Too often, nonprofits continue investing nearly all of their energy in annual appeals while giving relatively little attention to major gifts, planned giving, or long-term donor cultivation. The Giving USA data suggests those strategies deserve increasing attention, not instead of annual giving, but alongside it.

To whom did Americans give?

Giving to eight of nine major recipient subsectors grew in current dollars in 2025.

• Religion remained the largest recipient category at $151.58 billion, though its growth was modest at 2.4% in current dollars and slightly negative after inflation.
• Human services received $99.50 billion, up 5.3%.
• Education reached $92.01 billion, up 11.7%, one of the strongest growth rates among recipient categories.
• Public-society benefit organizations received $72.06 billion, up 11.6%.
• Health organizations received $61.43 billion, up 6.1%.
• International affairs received $33.02 billion, up 4.1%.
• Arts, culture, and humanities received $27.31 billion, up 7.5%.
• Environment and animals received $24.57 billion, up 11.0%.
• The only major recipient category that declined was giving to foundations, which fell 16.2% to $79.05 billion after reaching a high point in 2024.

In practical terms, the data suggests that many nonprofit sectors benefited from a stronger giving environment in 2025. But it also shows how uneven the landscape can be.

What changed from 2024 to 2025?

Compared with 2024, the most important shifts were:

• Individual giving grew, but not dramatically after inflation. This suggests continued generosity, but also pressure on household donors.
• Foundation giving remained strong and continued above the $100 billion level.
• Corporate giving increased only modestly and was essentially flat after inflation.
• Bequest giving surged, becoming the standout story of the year.

For nonprofit leaders, this means 2025 should not be read simply as “giving is up.” A better interpretation is giving is growing, but it is increasingly tied to assets, wealth, markets, estates, and major-gift capacity.

Economic and social forces shaping giving

The 2025 giving environment was shaped by a mix of strength and uncertainty.

• Strong financial markets helped lift giving. Market performance affects the wealth of individuals, foundations, corporations, and estates.
• When investment portfolios and asset values rise, many donors have greater capacity to give, especially donors who make larger gifts or give appreciated assets.
• At the same time, consumer sentiment remained low. Many households continued to feel financial pressure, even as broader economic indicators looked favorable. That may help explain why individual giving grew, but only modestly after inflation.

This split reality is important. Some donors had greater capacity because of asset growth. Others may have felt less secure because of inflation, cost-of-living pressure, economic uncertainty, or concerns about their own financial future.

For nonprofits, the implication is clear: donor behavior is not moving in one uniform direction. Some donors may be ready for larger, more strategic conversations. Others may need reassurance, flexibility, and a clear understanding of impact before they continue or increase support.

Bequests and the Great Wealth Transfer

The most important long-term signal in the 2025 data may be the rise in bequest giving.

It comes as an indicator we are entering what many call the Great Wealth Transfer: a generational shift in which trillions of dollars are expected to move from older Americans to heirs and charities over the next two decades.

For nonprofits, this is not only a planned giving story. It is a story about relationships.

We've also found that organizations with the strongest legacy programs rarely begin with sophisticated planned giving marketing. They begin with strong stewardship. Planned gifts are often the natural outcome of years of trust, not a single conversation about estate planning. Some will come from loyal annual donors who never made a major gift. Others will come through donor-advised funds, beneficiary designations, estate plans, charitable trusts, or family conversations about legacy.

The opportunity is significant, but it will not be automatic. Nonprofits that wait until donors are ready to revise an estate plan may be too late. Organizations need to help donors imagine their legacy before the moment of decision.

A Checklist for Enhancing Your Planned Giving Program

1. Make planned giving visible and normal. Many donors do not know that leaving a gift in a will, retirement account, life insurance policy, or donor-advised fund to your organization is possible. Planned giving should not be buried on a website or mentioned once a year. It should be part of regular donor communications.
2. Identify loyal donors, not just wealthy donors. A bequest prospect is not always the person making the largest annual gift. Long-term consistency, deep affinity, volunteer service, event attendance, and personal connection to the mission can all be strong signals of legacy potential.
3. Equip your staff and volunteers to talk about legacy. These conversations do not need to be technical or transactional. The best opening is often values-based: “What do you hope your generosity makes possible beyond your lifetime?”
4. Simplify the path. Provide sample bequest language, beneficiary designation instructions, contact information, and clear next steps. Make it easy for donors and their advisors to include the organization accurately.
5. Steward legacy donors with care. Once someone communicates a planned gift intention, they should not disappear into your database. They should be thanked, recognized according to their wishes, invited into the life of the organization, and reminded of the impact their future gift can make.
6. Connect planned giving to mission urgency. Donors leave bequests because they believe the organization will matter in the future. Nonprofits must be able to say, clearly and confidently, why their work will still be essential ten, twenty, and fifty years from now.

The Takeaway

The Giving USA 2026 report shows a resilient philanthropic sector. But it also points to a future in which fundraising will be more connected to wealth, assets, market cycles, estate planning, and intergenerational decisions.

For nonprofit leaders, the moment calls for both gratitude and preparation. The generosity is there. The question is whether you are building the trust, systems, messages, and relationships needed to receive it — especially as more donors begin asking what their legacy will be.

The Giving USA report reminds us that generosity doesn't simply follow the calendar. It follows relationships. Organizations that invest in trust today will be better positioned to benefit from the changing landscape of philanthropy tomorrow.

DBD Group would be happy to work with you to enhance your development efforts and capture that generosity for your mission.