Fundraising Effectiveness Project Data for Q1 2025 Shows Increases in Dollars Raised, but Declining Numbers of Donors
New York, NY, July 29, 2025 --(PR.com)-- Q1 2025 fundraising data from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP), released today, 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 57.0% 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 Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) is a collaborative project of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Foundation for Philanthropy and GivingTuesday and is a collaboration among fundraising data providers, researchers, analysts, associations, and consultants to empower the sector to track and evaluate trends in giving. The project offers one of the only views of the current year’s fundraising data in aggregate to provide the most recent trends for guiding nonprofit fundraising and donor engagement. The FEP releases quarterly findings on those giving trends, released both via downloadable reports at afpglobal.org/fep and in a free online dashboard.
As nonprofits approach the giving season, these trends underscore the challenges facing nonprofits—especially the need to re-engage both first-time and repeat donors while strengthening small donor acquisition and retention strategies alongside major donor cultivation. Organizations can mitigate dependencies on larger donors by prioritizing small donor acquisition and tailoring retention strategies to smaller donor segments, in addition to strengthening relationships with major donors. With a focus on these areas, nonprofits can position themselves for successful giving throughout the rest of 2025.
The full Q1 2025 report is available here.
FEP Q1 2025 Report Key Takeaways
— Total fundraising dollars increased by 3.6% year-over-year, driven largely by larger gifts. However, this growth masks significant declines in grassroots contributions and underscores the importance of diversifying donor strategies to ensure sustainability.
- As seen in previous quarters, the smallest donor size group ($1-$100), who accounted for 57.0% of all donors in Q1 2025, saw their donor base shrink by -11.1% year-over-year. Indicating a continued trend of small donors contributing less in the beginning of the year.
- The year-to-date retention rate, as estimated with current data, has declined slightly from 18.3% in 2024 to 18.1% in Q1 2025, signaling ongoing struggles in re-engaging both first-time and repeat donors.
“As we've seen in previous quarters, the continued decline in small donor participation reveals a deep vulnerability, especially at a time of growing volatility for the nonprofit sector,” said Woodrow Rosenbaum, Chief Data Officer of GivingTuesday. “Now, ahead of giving season, is the time to invest in unlocking the billions of dollars in untapped opportunity within the everyday giving market. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project, is committed to helping fundraisers meet this moment by expanding the depth and fidelity of FEP reporting to deliver the insights organizations need to adapt, diversify their donor base, and build long-term resilience.”
“In a year marked by shifting government priorities and uncertainty in federal funding, the need for timely, reliable data has never been more urgent. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project is a powerful example of sector-wide collaboration, providing insights that empower fundraisers to understand and adapt to trends like the continued decline in donor participation,” announced Art Taylor, president and chief executive officer of AFP. “Sharing this collective data helps individual organizations make informed, resilience-oriented decisions, and equips our sector to advocate more effectively for policies that strengthen long-term nonprofit impact.”
“While the continued decline in donor retention and individual giving reflects long-standing challenges in the sector, they also point to tremendous opportunity," said Keith Reed, CEO of Neon One. "We know that, when nonprofits successfully engage supporters over time, those donors don’t just stay involved. They also increase their generosity. The Q1 FEP report gives our sector both a mandate to invest in meaningful, sustained donor relationships and a roadmap for doing so.”
FEP reports continue to be made possible by the generous support of existing collaborating data providers, including BetterUnite, Bloomerang, Bonterra, DonorDock, DonorPerfect, FundraiseUp, Givebutter, Givesmart, GoFundMe Pro, Keela, Neon One, and Qgiv. FEP’s partner network also includes data infrastructure support from AWS Nonprofits. All giving platforms are welcome to join these efforts and increase data coverage, enhancing the accuracy and accessibility of efforts to provide measured analysis to the social sector.
The Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) is a collaborative project of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Foundation for Philanthropy and GivingTuesday and is a collaboration among fundraising data providers, researchers, analysts, associations, and consultants to empower the sector to track and evaluate trends in giving. The project offers one of the only views of the current year’s fundraising data in aggregate to provide the most recent trends for guiding nonprofit fundraising and donor engagement. The FEP releases quarterly findings on those giving trends, released both via downloadable reports at afpglobal.org/fep and in a free online dashboard.
As nonprofits approach the giving season, these trends underscore the challenges facing nonprofits—especially the need to re-engage both first-time and repeat donors while strengthening small donor acquisition and retention strategies alongside major donor cultivation. Organizations can mitigate dependencies on larger donors by prioritizing small donor acquisition and tailoring retention strategies to smaller donor segments, in addition to strengthening relationships with major donors. With a focus on these areas, nonprofits can position themselves for successful giving throughout the rest of 2025.
The full Q1 2025 report is available here.
FEP Q1 2025 Report Key Takeaways
— Total fundraising dollars increased by 3.6% year-over-year, driven largely by larger gifts. However, this growth masks significant declines in grassroots contributions and underscores the importance of diversifying donor strategies to ensure sustainability.
- As seen in previous quarters, the smallest donor size group ($1-$100), who accounted for 57.0% of all donors in Q1 2025, saw their donor base shrink by -11.1% year-over-year. Indicating a continued trend of small donors contributing less in the beginning of the year.
- The year-to-date retention rate, as estimated with current data, has declined slightly from 18.3% in 2024 to 18.1% in Q1 2025, signaling ongoing struggles in re-engaging both first-time and repeat donors.
“As we've seen in previous quarters, the continued decline in small donor participation reveals a deep vulnerability, especially at a time of growing volatility for the nonprofit sector,” said Woodrow Rosenbaum, Chief Data Officer of GivingTuesday. “Now, ahead of giving season, is the time to invest in unlocking the billions of dollars in untapped opportunity within the everyday giving market. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project, is committed to helping fundraisers meet this moment by expanding the depth and fidelity of FEP reporting to deliver the insights organizations need to adapt, diversify their donor base, and build long-term resilience.”
“In a year marked by shifting government priorities and uncertainty in federal funding, the need for timely, reliable data has never been more urgent. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project is a powerful example of sector-wide collaboration, providing insights that empower fundraisers to understand and adapt to trends like the continued decline in donor participation,” announced Art Taylor, president and chief executive officer of AFP. “Sharing this collective data helps individual organizations make informed, resilience-oriented decisions, and equips our sector to advocate more effectively for policies that strengthen long-term nonprofit impact.”
“While the continued decline in donor retention and individual giving reflects long-standing challenges in the sector, they also point to tremendous opportunity," said Keith Reed, CEO of Neon One. "We know that, when nonprofits successfully engage supporters over time, those donors don’t just stay involved. They also increase their generosity. The Q1 FEP report gives our sector both a mandate to invest in meaningful, sustained donor relationships and a roadmap for doing so.”
FEP reports continue to be made possible by the generous support of existing collaborating data providers, including BetterUnite, Bloomerang, Bonterra, DonorDock, DonorPerfect, FundraiseUp, Givebutter, Givesmart, GoFundMe Pro, Keela, Neon One, and Qgiv. FEP’s partner network also includes data infrastructure support from AWS Nonprofits. All giving platforms are welcome to join these efforts and increase data coverage, enhancing the accuracy and accessibility of efforts to provide measured analysis to the social sector.
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GivingTuesday
Shareeza Bhola
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https://www.givingtuesday.org
Shareeza Bhola
646-494-4487
https://www.givingtuesday.org
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