Over the past year or so, our Amperage team has heard concerns from nonprofit leaders citing uncertainties with the economy and how that may impact their fundraising efforts to support operations and growth. This has caused some organizations to hesitate to move forward with future projects, marketing initiatives or new fundraising campaigns. As such, the recent Giving USA Annual Report on Philanthropy with insights into charitable giving in 2024. The results may surprise those who have been keeping a close eye on the economy’s impact on philanthropic giving.

According to the report, total philanthropic giving among individuals, foundations and corporations grew to $592.50 billion or 6.3% in 2024. This outpaces the rate of inflation for the first time in three years.

Increased charitable giving in the United States was initiated by a strong stock market in 2024 leading individuals and corporations to become the largest contributors toward philanthropic causes.

Some nonprofits have seen funding cuts from government entities and federal and state grants available, but as corporations have realized higher earnings, the corporate sector is donating more back to their communities and their employees’ areas of interest. This is an opportunity for nonprofits to revisit their relationships with businesses in their community and design volunteer programs and corporate sponsorship packages that demonstrate the impact the support has on the nonprofit.

Individual giving is also on the rise. As individuals carry more wealth in individual retirement accounts (IRAs), real estate or other assets, this should signal nonprofits to look at fundraising beyond cash gifts. This is an opportunity for nonprofits to enhance their planned giving or endowment programs; review policies for non-cash gifts; and implement processes and partnerships with financial institutions for accepting gifts of stock and securities, if they are not already in place.

Once these activities have been implemented and reviewed, nonprofits should promote their ability to take non-cash gifts. This can be done by featuring a donor of your endowment fund in your newsletter, including planned giving tools on your website, or creating a marketing brochure with instructions of how to make a gift of stock to your organization.

Not all donors will be aware of your abilities to accept gifts beyond cash, and promoting your nonprofit’s ability to accept a variety of assets to further your mission can expand your fundraising activities and diversify your revenue streams. Donors may be able to donate more to your organization if they are contributing assets other than cash.

Volunteers who assist nonprofits with gift asks should also be made aware of the other types of gifts your organization is able to accept and provided the marketing tools to share with others about how to give. Peer-to-peer fundraising can help grow a nonprofit’s support base from individual donors as it helps expand reach within your volunteers’ networks and builds credibility for your organization.

Unsure of how to expand your menu of giving opportunities to your organization? Amperage Marketing + Fundraising can help in providing fundraising consultation to enhance your strategies for corporate engagement and market your endowment and planned giving programs to individual donors. Check us out at https://amperagemarketing.com/fundraising/ or contact me at mpence@amperagefundraising.com to have a further conversation.

Author Melissa Pence, CFRE, is a fundraising adviser for Amperage Marketing + Fundraising. She has worked in fundraising and development in the nonprofit sector for 25 years.