Innovative Local Engagement Models for Impact

Federal financing cuts; attacks on equity, immigrants, the rule of law, and the nation's democracy; a brand-new tax costs; and the growing use of expert system are simply a few of the factors that have overthrown the not-for-profit world. Amidst this upheaval, how can funders and their beneficiaries get ready for 2026 and beyond? In this special plan, you'll hear from foundation leaders and major donors about giving trends in the coming year and efforts to react to Trump administration risks.

You'll discover bold predictions from leaders and thinkers across the sector about what lies ahead, including what the sector will look like five years from now, and how to react to what promises to be another unmatched year. It's time to shed our fear and acknowledge that those who desire modification will fail if individuals closest to the money lack the nerve to bear the most risk.

Kathleen Enright, president & CEO, Council on Foundations The humanitarian sector should be clear-eyed about the obstacles ahead: the pattern of targeted attacks and government overreach designed to stifle our most basic liberties. John Palfrey, president, MacArthur Structure Nonprofits are addicted to the hamster wheel of fundraising, and in 2026, AI may supersize both the wheel and the addiction.

Michael McAfee, CEO, PolicyLink It's difficult to envision passage anytime soon of legislation needing higher payout rates. Bella DeVaan and Chuck Collins collaborate the Charity Reform Effort, Institute for Policy Researches Communication is no longer background noise.

Scaling Corporate Philanthropic Impact

Dimple Abichandani, author of A New Era of Philanthropy. Lighthouse illustration by Greg Mably for The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Findings from Church Mutual can assist assist nonprofits as they navigate 2026 and changes in generational offering.

With that, here are five essential takeaways from the Church Mutual 2026 survey: The Church Mutual study found houses of worship continue to take in the lion's share of donations. All 4 generations represented (Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and Child Boomers) contributed mostly to places of praise, constituting 74% of charitable contributions.

Organizations that have religious ties need to highlight this connection to donors, especially if they actively support homes of worship or schools. Another crucial finding from the survey was that donors tended to make their contributions towards the end of the year (OctoberDecember). Throughout the four generations, end-of-year donations comprised the highest portion, with JanuaryMarch taking 2nd location, followed by AprilJune, then JulySeptember.

Furthermore, out of the 4 generations, Gen Z was most likely to provide throughout the slowest time of the year (JulySeptember). Those who work in the not-for-profit area ought to keep in mind of the end-of-year increase in donations, which shows that OctoberDecember projects such as Providing Tuesday occasions, matches, and so on, could generate a fundraising windfall.

New Strategies for Better Non-Profit Giving

That said, "slow-down" periods need to not be disregarded, as the younger generations may still be inclined to offer even when the older ones are not. The study consists of an area that information "donation expectations" for 2026, and it is these findings that might sound alarm bells. On the one hand, around half of donors (48%) stated they will not make any modifications to their monetary contributions, with Boomers being the group probably to leave their charitable giving the same.

Millennials were recognized as the group most likely to cut their offering, whereas Gen Z was not only determined as the group least likely to cut their offering, however also the group most likely to increase their offering in 2026. Church Mutual has a couple of areas dedicated to the primary financial concerns of donors, something that falls beyond the scope of this short article.

One finding that nonprofits need to likewise understand is that a majority of donors have issues about the financial health of the groups they support. Church Mutual found that 54% of donors are stressed about the monetary health of the recipients of their contributions. By generation, Gen Z was the most concerned, followed by millennials and Gen X respectively, while Boomers were the least worried.

They ought to be prepared to address more youthful donors' issues and be proactive in dealing with any concerns afflicting the company internally. Doing so might make a distinction in winning over younger donors throughout economically unsure times. While lower financial contributions might be worrisome for nonprofits, there may be some great news.

When asked if they would increase "effort and time" to assist in other methods need to they reduce their financial contributions, a bulk of donors showed they would; 26% stated they were "most likely" and 32% stated "somewhat most likely," equating to 58% of donors in general. The study recommends these actions could imply "strong potential to convert reduced monetary giving into more volunteering, advocacy, or other non-financial assistance." In the face of smaller sized monetary contributions, nonprofits should lean into other channels to engage their donors.

Transforming Corporate Philanthropy Strategy for Success

There are other findings from Church Mutual that were not covered in this short article, such as donation techniques and the leading monetary top priorities of donors, therefore I motivate all those in the nonprofit space to go through the report. The findings from Church Mutual can help guide nonprofits as they navigate 2026, particularly as Gen Z starts to take on a more popular function in the offering world.

Sign up for the Johnson Center's e-mail newsletter! This year marks a milestone for the Johnson Center: the tenth edition of our 11 Trends in Philanthropy report. What began in 2017 as a modest supplement to our yearly report has turned into a commonly read and talked about publication, reaching more than 100,000 readers each year.

Generally, these posts check out brand-new shifts or developing motions throughout the field of philanthropy. For this tenth edition, nevertheless, we have taken a various technique. Instead of determining a wholly new set of emerging trends, we have turned our attention backward to assess the styles that have shaped our sector over the past 10 years, and to name both enduring shifts and new developments.

It is also a recommendation of the moment we find ourselves in a moment of active disruption, that integrates both excellent anxiety about where we are headed and fantastic possibility for what might follow. Our future feels more unsure than ever, but the chance to produce and scale life-altering developments for our communities feels present.

Innovative Charitable Trends for Community Health

As executive orders, legal contests, and legislative arguments play out, we do not have a clear picture of how much federal financing has actually been rescinded or withheld from nonprofits and communities. We do not know how many nonprofits have closed or will close their doors, the number of personnel have lost their tasks, or how lots of neighborhoods have actually lost access to critical services.