Good news first: no postage increase in January 2026! And don’t forget—DAF Day is October 9.
On a personal note, my husband and I recently welcomed two sweet pups into our family. Their adoption journey wasn’t easy, from applications to turn-downs and plenty of waiting, but it opened my eyes. The bumps along the way reminded me of how donors often feel when trying to connect with nonprofits.
Whether visiting a website, calling for information or sending an email, the experience matters. As we head into Q4—the busiest giving season—it’s worth asking: Are you making it easy, warm and welcoming for supporters?
After taking a summer off, there have been many case studies and reports that were released.
Double the Donation just updated their Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics and is worth a quick review to note the findings.
Grab your coffee or favorite beverage and kick your feet up!
1. Donor Advised Fund Reports and Insights Released 🙌
In fiscal year 2025, DAFgiving360 donors supported 155,000 charities through 1.4 million grants, a 19% increase in grants year over year. They gave $8.9 billion, which represents a 34% increase in dollars granted year over year.
5 key trends amongst DAFgiving360 donors:
- Giving knows no season—donors grant year round
- Disaster relief needs draw ongoing support
- Donors expand generosity while staying rooted in community
- Donors put investments to work to increase impact
- Advisor relationships drive strategic giving
Chariot's 2025 DAF Fundraising Report 💰
- Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) are now the fastest-growing vehicle in philanthropy, representing $230B+ in charitable assets and growing rapidly year over year.
- Speed matters: 67% of DAF donors give within 48 hours of discovering a cause. Ensuring frictionless giving experiences is key to unlocking these funds.
- Digital giving is becoming the norm. 87% of DAF donors prefer giving online, highlighting the need for seamless DAF integrations at donation checkout.
- DAF donors are strategic and intentional. Most maintain 10-20% of their wealth in DAFs, treating them as active philanthropic accounts, not passive savings.
- The opportunity: Organizations that integrate DAF options across platforms and campaigns can better tap into these committed, high-value donors.
Also: DAF Day resources and toolkit are available at https://www.dafday.com/
2. “The Return Of Touch”: Consumers Want More IRL Brand Engagement – Quad-Harris Poll 📬
Today’s consumers want more tactile and retail experiences that foster community, good vibes and deeper brand loyalty. The Harris Poll’s Thought Leadership team, in partnership with Quad, reveals a striking shift in consumer behavior: Americans are eager to step away from their screens and connect with brands IRL.
But that’s not to say that digital is dead. The new report, “RoT: Return of Touch — Consumer engagement has an omnichannel revival,” reveals how a balance of digital and physical moments rounds out a brand’s full omnichannel exposure. This journey may travel from an in-feed social media ad to printed catalogs in the mailbox to delightful displays in stores that are worthy of Instagram and TikTok. It’s a full-circle, immersive brand experience that marketers must tackle from every angle.
A few key findings from “The Return of Touch Report: Reimaging Consumer Engagement in 2025“:
- Consumers are screen-fatigued: A desire to unplug―81% of Gen Z say they often wish they could disconnect from digital devices more easily.
- Print isn’t dead: 71% of consumers say that print catalogs or magazines feel more authentic than digital campaigns.
- Tactile matters: 66% of consumers say that touching and physically interacting with products is the most enjoyable part of in-person shopping. Tactile discovery feels differentiated and exciting, while on-screen shopping feels two-dimensional.
- In-person interactions spark loyalty: 71% say that experiencing a brand in a physical store deepens their connection and loyalty to it.
- Brick-and-mortar magic: 79% of consumers say that while online shopping is efficient, it lacks the magic of an in-person find.
3. CCS Fundraising Releases 2025 Philanthropic Landscape Report 📶
U.S. charitable giving reached $592.5 billion in 2024, a historic level in current dollars. CCS Fundraising’s 2025 Philanthropic Landscape Report examines what drove this growth and provides insight for nonprofit leaders planning for the year ahead.
The report combines Giving USA data with CCS research, client insights and frontline expertise to give a clear picture of giving trends, donor behavior and sector dynamics, along with actionable guidance for fundraisers and nonprofit executives.
New this year, an International Giving overview and Generational Lens highlight donor behavior across age cohorts.
Access the "2025 Philanthropic Landscape" report here.
4. Transparency boosts contributions to nonprofits—by 62% 💡
Nonprofits are facing fierce competition for funding amid increased demand for services. We need to find ways to get donors’ and funders’ attention—whether individuals, foundations or corporations—with a compelling case for support. Candid’s latest report, Do Nonprofits With a Candid Seal of Transparency Raise More Funds?, confirms that nonprofit transparency boosts contributions—in fact, funders give 62% more on average to organizations that devote the time and effort to earn a Candid Seal of Transparency.
5. How the Megabill Boosts a Charitable Tax Break for Seniors 💼
The Wall Street Journal reports that one group of winners from recent tax changes are older Americans who give charitably through their IRAs. Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) are now more advantageous than ever.
IRA owners age 70½ or older can make QCDs of up to $108,000 in 2025, or $216,000 for couples. Funds must be transferred directly to qualified charities—not to donor-advised funds or for donations with large personal benefits. Specialists also advise completing QCDs before taking required minimum withdrawals to avoid complications. Options vary, from the IRA sponsor sending a check directly to the charity to providing the donor a checkbook for writing QCDs.
Planned Giving professor Russell James notes that the new tax law adds complexity, rewarding donors who plan strategically. One popular strategy is “bunching”―giving larger amounts in some years and less in others. For donors who want to maintain steady annual support, donor-advised funds (DAFs) are a flexible tool. These approaches can help maximize tax benefits while ensuring consistent impact for favorite causes.
6. FreeWill: 2025 Planned Giving Report ✍️
The newest 2025 Planned Giving report is an analysis of estate plans and charitable bequests made through FreeWill’s platform from June 2024 through May 2025. The report explores the trends influencing the modern will-maker and discusses what strategies nonprofits can implement to make the most of the Great Wealth Transfer that is currently underway.
In a recent webinar, "How to grow planned giving in 2025," co-CEO Patrick Schmitt shares the top findings from the report and easy-to-implement tips to drive more planned gifts.
7. Fundraising Effectiveness Project Data for Q1 2025 Shows Increases in Dollars Raised, but Declining Numbers of Donors 🎯
Q1 2025 fundraising data from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP)―released July 29, 2025―shows an increase of 3.6% in total dollars raised compared to 2024 levels, driven largely by larger gifts. However, this growth masks significant declines in grassroots contributions and highlights the ongoing importance of diversifying donor strategies to ensure long-term sustainability.
Despite the rise in total dollars, the number of donors declined by 1.3% year over year, and retention rates slipped slightly from 18.3% in 2024 to 18.1% in Q1 2025.
The smallest donor group ($1–$100), who made up 57% of all donors in Q1 2025, experienced an 11.1% year-over-year drop, continuing a trend of decreased engagement from small donors early in the year.
The rate of donor decline was lowest in January, which may have represented a slight increase in donors as compared to January 2024, after adjusting for late data.
The full Q1 2025 report is available here.
8. Giving USA 2025: U.S. charitable giving lifted by stock market gains 🎁
Individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations gave an estimated $592.50 billion to U.S. charities in 2024. Total giving grew 3% in current dollars, reaching a new high by that measure (3.3% when adjusted for inflation). A strong stock market and GDP growth helped fuel the increase in total giving, which was led by individual and corporate giving. When adjusted for inflation, giving to seven of the nine categories rose, while giving to foundations remained relatively flat, and giving to religion decreased slightly.
Among the categories of nonprofits that receive charitable giving, four of nine subsectors reached their all-time highs in 2024, even when adjusted for inflation: education; health; arts, culture and humanities; and environment/animals.
Some of the highest growth in giving was seen in the public-society benefit, international and education subsectors, each of which rebounded from declines in 2023.
- Individual giving―which comprises two-thirds of all giving―was boosted by the rising stock market and personal income.
- Strong GDP and corporate pre-tax profits extended the recent gains in corporate giving. Corporate giving reached its highest level on record in both current and inflation-adjusted.
- The strong stock market contributed to increased foundation asset values, with foundation grantmaking surpassing the $100 billion mark for the third straight year. Bequest giving, which often fluctuates from one year to the next, decreased slightly.
Available online at www.givingusa.org.
9. BBB’s Give.org Study: 69% worry about their information being hacked when first donating to a charity 🔐
When asked to imagine contributing to a charity they have not supported in the past, most (68.9%) participants report being “very concerned” (30.6%) or “somewhat concerned” (38.3%) that their information may be hacked or stolen. A similar amount, 62%, say they are either “very concerned” (26.8%) or “somewhat concerned” (35.2%) that the charity might share their information outside the organization.
For a free copy of the report, go to Give.org/DonorTrust.
10. Economic Headlines 📊
The Fed cut its target interest rate by a quarter-point on September 17, 2025, to a range of 4.00%–4.25%, its first cut in nine months. The move reflects growing concerns about economic risks and employment.
Despite this, mortgage rates are expected to rise to 6.5% by year end, driven by 10-year Treasury yields rather than the Fed’s short-term rate cuts.
The Leading Economic Index fell 0.5% in August, signaling a slowing economy. Weak manufacturing, cautious consumers and higher tariffs are expected to drag GDP growth to 1.6% in 2025.
The economy remains split: Higher-income households are thriving while younger, lower-income and Black workers face higher unemployment. Wage growth is slowing for many, deepening the divide.
Consumer sentiment hit 55.1 in September, one of the lowest readings since 1952, while consumer confidence also dipped below the threshold that typically signals recession. Yet spending rose 0.4% in August after inflation, boosted by back-to-school shopping.
Credit stress is mounting, with auto-loan and credit-card delinquencies at 2008–09 levels and more mortgages carrying risky debt-to-income ratios.
And yet, the stock market and consumer spending remain strong. Checking and savings balances have grown 50% since 2019 while debt payments as a share of income have fallen. Americans are saving, spending and paying down debt faster than before the pandemic.
Confused yet?
11. Visit the RKD Resources Website Page for some great posts, podcasts and benchmarks 🧐
- Regional digital ideas for GivingTuesday and year end
- Countdown to DAF Day: 15 last-minute digital ideas to cultivate DAF giving
- The new fundraising frontier: AI has created a ‘Dual Web’ for search
- Q4: Maximize the giving season that shapes your year
- Donor retention done right: 3 Animal Care wins you can borrow today
RKD Group: Thinkers Monthly LinkedIn Update:
- Don’t roll the dice, use the data! Mid-year benchmarks to guide your plans
- Fantasy football, old friends and the secret to donor relationships
- Mid-level donors deserve first-class treatment—here’s how
- Balancing data and creativity: Lori Collins on finding the “why” behind the numbers
- From food banks to PBS: Jen Newmeyer’s journey alongside digital fundraising
- Stacy Huston shares her journey of impact in social leadership
Thank you for our partnership!
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