By: Lazaro Maisler
For some time now at in2action, we have been analysing global fundraising data and sharing our insights on this blog. Today, we want to focus on a few key findings that are worth holding onto, findings that seem to point to behavioural shifts… or perhaps not.
We have already explored in our article on the World Giving Report 2025 how global generosity is being measured, Africa’s leadership in giving, and the Latin American paradox of active yet informal generosity. In our analysis of Giving USA 2025, we looked at the American landscape, the sustained growth of Donor Advised Funds, among other trends, and the fact that donor participation fell by 4.5% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
There are fewer donors worldwide
The decline in the number of donors is not an isolated phenomenon limited to the United States. Data from CAF’s UK Giving Report shows the same pattern in the United Kingdom. The trend is repeated across different countries with well-established measurement systems. There are fewer donors. But those who do give are giving more.
The Bank of America Study of Philanthropy 2025, which focuses specifically on high-net-worth households in the United States (annual incomes above USD 200,000 or net assets exceeding USD 1 million excluding primary residence) confirms this trend: the average amount donated per household has increased by 30% over the past decade, reaching approximately USD 33,000 per year. Fewer people, greater concentration.
These studies also reinforce something the sector has known for a long time: tax benefits are not the primary motivator for major donors. They work more as a bonus that validates a decision already made. What truly drives giving is something else entirely: connection, trust and evidence of impact.
Peer-to-peer giving is no longer just a technique
One third of global donors say they gave because someone close to them asked them to, according to the Global Trends in Giving Report.
Peer-to-peer giving operates on two levels.
- Among major donors, it drives significant contributions through conversation, recommendation and the example of another respected philanthropist.
- In its digital form, it has become part of mainstream culture: birthday fundraisers, challenges between friends and community-led campaigns.
Different channels, same logic: trust is transferred through relationships, not institutions.
Some causes raise more money — and that is no coincidence
According to CAF’s 2025 global report, based on data from 100 countries, the causes that most motivated individual giving were children and young people, poverty relief, religious causes, humanitarian aid and older people.
The interesting point is not the ranking itself. It is that all these causes have something in common: they move people emotionally.
At its core, the decision to donate is an emotional one. The causes that raise the most are the ones that connect. A cause may be technically impeccable and still raise very little. Another, more niche, may mobilise significant support if the story it tells reaches donors in a place where something resonates emotionally. Very often, the difference is not the cause itself. It is how the story is told.
So then…
- There are fewer donors, they are giving more, and tax benefits are not what drives the decision.
- Peer-to-peer giving has become part of culture.
- The causes that raise funds are the ones that connect.
Has the donor changed? Or has it simply become clearer what donors need to find on the other side?
Thinking about a fundraising strategy today — as always — means understanding how donors make decisions, what motivates them, and what creates connection and engagement. These findings are part of the conversation every organisation needs to have.