State of Good for Dec 22, 2025

by | Dec 22, 2025

Weekly insights on donor behavior, industry trends, and what’s shaping generosity
⏱️ 4 minutes | Once a week

Donors & Industry Indicators

Half Your Donors Have Already Made Their 2025 Gifts: Here’s How to Reach the Rest

The year-end giving season just got more complicated. A new poll reveals that approximately 50% of U.S. adults have already completed their charitable giving for 2025, fundamentally challenging traditional assumptions about December fundraising.

This finding arrives as GivingTuesday 2025 posts record-breaking results, particularly in Southern states, while Q3 2025 FEP data shows early signs of donor stabilization. The mixed signals create a complex landscape for development professionals navigating the final days of 2025.

What This Means for You:

  • Your December 31 deadline campaigns may be reaching donors who’ve already allocated their giving budgets
  • Consider segmenting your appeals: one message for completed givers (focus on 2026 planning), another for those still deciding
  • The traditional “last chance” messaging may need refinement, half your audience has already acted

DAF Assets Hit Record Highs as Giving Patterns Shift

Donor-advised funds now hold more money than ever, with an increasing portion flowing to politically active charities. This concentration of philanthropic assets creates new dynamics for fundraisers, particularly around the $5,000 disclosure threshold that affects donor privacy preferences.

The shift matters because DAF timing differs from direct giving. While individual donors may have completed their 2025 giving, DAF holders often make grant recommendations through December 31 and beyond. This creates a two-speed giving environment that requires different strategies.

What This Means for You:

  • Develop specific DAF outreach strategies separate from your general appeals
  • Consider how your organization’s advocacy activities might affect DAF donor interest
  • Build relationships with DAF sponsors to understand their year-end recommendation deadlines

Grant Competition Intensifies as Federal and State Funding Contracts

The funding landscape is tightening. Minnesota’s 2025 Pulse Check Report confirms what many fundraisers are experiencing: federal and state grants are being cut while competition for remaining funds intensifies. This shift places increased pressure on individual giving programs just as donor behavior patterns are evolving.

Combined with upcoming tax law changes in 2026 that will affect charitable deduction calculations, nonprofits face a strategic inflection point. Organizations must balance immediate funding needs with long-term donor relationship building.

What This Means for You:

  • Diversify revenue streams now — don’t wait for grant notifications
  • Communicate with major donors about potential 2026 tax law changes that might affect their giving strategies
  • Strengthen your case for support to stand out in an increasingly competitive environment

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Why Donors Give?

Why do matching gift campaigns consistently outperform standard appeals by 2-3x?

The answer lies in two powerful psychological forces: urgency and scarcity. We value things more when they’re limited or time-bound. Matching campaigns create both, a deadline and a finite pool of matching funds.

But there’s critical nuance here. False urgency erodes trust faster than almost anything else in fundraising. “LAST CHANCE!” emails sent weekly train donors to ignore you. Artificial scarcity is quickly recognized and deeply resented.

Genuine urgency, however, motivates action. Real deadlines. Real matching funds. Real consequences for inaction. When donors believe the opportunity is authentically limited, response rates can triple.

Try This:

  • Use matching gifts with real deadlines and specific match amounts
  • Create genuine urgency: “Our shelter has capacity for 50 families—34 spots are filled”
  • Never fake scarcity—donors can tell, and it damages trust permanently

The goal isn’t manipulation. It’s helping donors understand that their action matters now.

Research: Network for Good, “The Science of Year-End Giving”

💡 Pure Charity’s Fundraisers Support many Matching Grant Fundraising Strategies.

What Changed from Last Week?

REMINDER! USPS Rule Change Threatens Year-End Gift Processing

A new USPS rule could affect how mailed donations qualify for 2025 tax deductions.

With processing delays and new documentation requirements, organizations risk donor frustration if year-end gifts don’t qualify for intended tax benefits.  Here’s how one nonprofit explained it to their donors.

Why It Matters: Tax deductibility remains a significant motivator for major donors. Processing delays that push gifts into the next tax year can damage donor relationships and affect planned giving calculations.

Your Move:

  • Communicate new mailing deadlines clearly and early
  • Promote digital giving options with immediate tax receipts
  • Consider hand-delivery or courier services for major gift solicitations

💡 Pure Charity’s Checking Processing services and receipts will reflect the USPS Postmark that follows this rule change.

 

GivingTuesday 2025 Breaks Records, But the Pattern Is Changing

GivingTuesday 2025 delivered record-breaking results, particularly in Southern states, but the success comes with an important caveat. With half of donors reporting they’ve already completed their annual giving, the concentrated success of giving days may be redistributing donations rather than expanding the pie.

Why It Matters: The success of GivingTuesday combined with early giving completion suggests donors are front-loading their philanthropy. This shift has profound implications for year-end campaign timing and multi-touch strategies.

Your Move:

  • Analyze your GivingTuesday results against your full-year retention rates
  • Consider moving major solicitations earlier in Q4 2026
  • Develop year-round engagement strategies that don’t rely on December urgency

Bottom Line

This week’s takeaway:

The traditional year-end giving playbook needs revision.

With half your donors already done with 2025 giving, record DAF assets waiting to be deployed, and tightening grant funding, success requires strategic adaptation rather than louder megaphones.

Three actions for this week:

  1. Segment your remaining appeals:  Create different messages for completed givers (focus on 2026) versus active prospects
  2. Double down on DAF outreach:  These funds operate on different timelines and remain available
  3. Document and communicate:  Ensure all donors understand new USPS rules and tax implications for their gifts

 

💡 Pure Charity can support your 2026 Fundraising Strategies.

Good In Action

A U.S. Navy veteran’s two-year fight to regain custody of his daughter ended with a tiny home and a profound lesson about barriers to family reunification. Tim had overcome substance use challenges and rebuilt his life, but one obstacle remained: no permanent address meant no custody rights.

When donors provided Tim with a tiny home, they gave him more than shelter. They gave him an address — the key requirement for asserting parental rights. Within weeks, 2-year-old Majesty was back with her father.

The Lesson: Sometimes the most transformative gifts address systemic barriers, not just immediate needs. Tim didn’t need counseling or job training — he’d already done that work. He needed the one thing the system required: a permanent address. When we listen closely to what people actually need versus what we think they need, our interventions become transformative rather than merely helpful.