New Research | Year-End Giving Drives 2025 Benchmarks. Here’s How…

Kate Averett Anderson

Last year, many fundraisers felt generosity “show up again”—and in our latest Blackbaud Institute research: 2025 Trends in Giving Spotlight, the data supports that giving grew, and prepared organizations built real momentum.   

Key Takeaways 

• The typical organization saw ~4.3% growth in 2025. 
• Results were heavily concentrated late in the year with 36%+ of revenue showing up in Q4. 
• Mid and major gifts (>$1k) grew ~4.7% YoY, leading to growth for organizations that were positioned to receive them. 
• Online giving grew ~11% YoY, showing the peak time in November. 

It’s easy to assume success requires a large development team, a long-standing major donor portfolio, or decades of relationship history. But the data and real-world experience tell a different story. 

New giving strategies don’t have to start big to be effective. In fact, some of the most meaningful momentum comes from organizations that intentionally redesign how they engage donors, shifting from transactional outreach to values-based, relationship-first strategies. This approach allows small and mid-size organizations to unlock major giving potential even when they’re starting with limited resources or donors who have never made a significant gift before. 

Jay Vagh, business development manager at Second Harvest shared how they’re rethinking their approach. Disregarding questions about internal limitations due to their size helped them gain traction with new major donor prospects and build confidence in their long-term strategy: 

“Expanding our major giving efforts initially felt daunting. We didn’t have a large team or a long list of traditional major donors, but we did have strong impact, clear values, and leadership deeply committed to relationships. One shift made a meaningful difference: we moved away from transactional outreach and toward values-led, relationship-first engagement. 

Instead of leading with programs or asks, we began leading with shared purpose. We connected our mission to what mattered most to each prospective donor as individuals and leaders. When we started, we had little traction soliciting new gifts from donors who had never given before—but this approach helped us expand our new business. 

Our strategy is still new, and we’re continuing to measure its full impact, but we’ve already seen increased response rates and stronger general interest in our organization. We’re still waiting to hear back from some potential major donors, but we wouldn’t have even reached this point without changing our strategy.” 

What Your Org Can Do to Get Prepared 

Position your organization to convert donor intent into revenue. Consider pressure-testing your current strategic giving plan against these three questions: 

1. Are you building toward year-end all year long? (Remember, 18% of all 2025 giving was received in December alone.)  
2. Is your stewardship path clear and consistent for mid-level donors? (How can you create a unique strategy for mid-level givers—identifying and nurturing the major givers of tomorrow?)  
3. How frictionless is your giving experience? (Make it easy for donors to say “yes” with optimized forms, recurring gifts, and non-cash options.)  

 Read the Report