Introduction to Prospect Research: Individual Donors: Reports and Research on Donors

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.
The full Dunham + Co report can be found on the next tab in this LibGuide.

The Commission maintains a database of individuals who have made contributions to federally registered political committees.

Nonprofits continue to focus their sights on baby boomers, but as the greatest wealth transfer in history is underway, nonprofits will need to adjust their thinking, futureproof their donor databases and find ways to connect with younger generations. After all, the wealth transfer has been estimated at $30 trillion.

This article from Nonprofit Tech for Good, has a breakdown of overall giving behaviors, some statistics about each generation’s giving, how they like to be contacted, and their preferred giving method. You’ll see that there is significant overlap between generations, meaning you can develop campaigns that are optimized for multiple types of donors and include more than one way to give.

A new report suggests that business models may need to be adapted in order for retirement plan professionals to be prepared for the ever-expanding multigenerational “Great Wealth Transfer” set to occur over the next 25 years.

Nonprofit fundraising statistics and trends are essential for making data-driven decisions, especially in a constantly changing philanthropic space. By understanding recent insights, you’ll be able to identify areas for improvement and refine your strategies.

FEP conducts an annual survey, provides useful growth in giving performance measurement tools and publishes gain(loss) statistics in quarterly and yearly reports through a partnership between AFP, #GivingTuesday, and participating donor software firms.

The importance of your mid-level donor segment has never been greater. For many organizations, mid-level donors represent 35%+ of annual giving revenue and typically about 5% of the annual giving population.