5 takeaways on individual donors’ 2025 charitable giving plans

Given the challenges U.S. nonprofits are facing in 2025, can they count on continued charitable giving from individual donors? Dunham + Company’s latest Donor Confidence Survey offers a hint of optimism—contingent on economic conditions going forward. Fielded between November 10 and 25, 2024, among 1,492 U.S. donors who gave at least $20 to charity in 2023, the survey found 79% of those who planned to continue giving said they’d give the same amount or more this year. 

Here are five takeaways from the report: 

1. Overall donor confidence is the highest since 2021 

Among the 91% of respondents who said last November they planned to continue their charitable giving, 79% expected to give the same or more—the highest percentage since 2021, when 80% said the same. Meanwhile, the percentage of those who expected to give less fell from 16% in January 2024 to 14%. This suggests a significant rebound in donor confidence from 2023, when only 70% said they would give the same or more and 24% expected to give less. 

By contrast, 14% planned to give less than in 2024 or “none at all” this year, also a notable improvement from 24% in January 2023 and 16% in January 2024. 

2. Needs of a specific charity is the top reason for giving the same or more 

One-third (33%) of those who planned to maintain or increase their charitable giving in 2025 cited the needs of a specific charity as the main reason. Another 27% cited their personal financial situation as the key factor in maintaining or increasing giving, while smaller percentages cited economic conditions (11%), inflation (10%), and the outcome of the presidential election (10%).  

3. Personal finances is the top reason for giving less

Among the 14% of respondents who expected to decrease their giving, 38% cited personal finances. Another 27% cited the impact of inflation—down from 35% in 2022 but still a concern—and 18% cited the economy in general, up from 13% in 2022. As with those who planned to give the same or more, only 10% cited the outcome of the presidential election. 

4. Household charitable giving is up significantly since 2021-22 

Survey responses about giving between November 2023 and November 2024 indicated notable increases in average household giving compared with giving in April 2021 and April 2022 across all generations. Average giving by Gen Z households increased by 16%, and average giving by millennial, Gen X, and boomer households rose between 22% and 23%. While older generations generally give more, millennial households have 18% more on average than Gen X households in 2023-24, up from 8% in 2021-22. 

5. Four in 10 donors expect the economy to improve 

The share of respondents who expected the U.S. economy to improve over the next year grew from 24% in January 2024 to 39% in November. Meanwhile, the share of those who expect the economy to worsen declined from 35% to 28%. Among those who felt the economy would stay the same or decline, the percentage of those who believed any recovery would take more than two years jumped from 37% in January 2024 to 62% in November. These survey results suggest diverging views among donors on the economic outlook.  

Given that donors surveyed in November 2024 cited their personal financial situation as the most common reason for giving less and as the second most common reason for giving the same or more, charitable giving trends in 2025 may hinge on how economic conditions evolve over the course of the year. 

This article is part of a regular feature where Candid insights shares key takeaways from a new research report to encourage a more data-driven approach to the sector’s work. Leave a comment to recommend a report for an upcoming feature. 

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