Crystal Ball Fundraising: What's Coming Next?

If fundraisers had a crystal ball, planning would be much easier. We would know which donors will renew, which grants will be funded, and which new fundraising idea will work.

Unfortunately, my crystal ball is still on backorder.

What we do have is data. Current giving patterns offer some useful clues about where fundraising is headed and where nonprofits should focus their attention.

More Dollars, But Fewer Donors

Here is one trend nonprofits should watch closely.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Fundraising Effectiveness Project data shows charitable dollars increased an estimated 5% in 2025, while the number of donors declined 3.6%. The growth was driven largely by bigger gifts.

Early 2026 data offers a similar message. Giving increased 4.3% in the first quarter compared with the prior year, while donor counts declined 0.8%.

Relying on fewer donors to provide more revenue creates risk.

What to do: Keep cultivating major donors, but don't neglect donor acquisition and retention. Pay particular attention to turning first-time donors into second-time donors.

This fits with a fundraising principle I've emphasized before: strong stewardship is central to donor retention.

Donor-Advised Funds Aren't Going Away

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) continue to represent a significant fundraising opportunity. The number of DAF accounts reached 3.56 million in 2024, with assets totaling $326.45 billion.

Nonprofits don't need to become DAF experts overnight.

What to do: Make sure donors know your organization accepts DAF grants. Add simple instructions to your website and train development staff to recognize and properly track these gifts.

AI Will Become a Regular Fundraising Tool

AI isn't replacing fundraisers and is becoming another tool in the fundraising toolbox.

Giving USA reports that more than 80% of nonprofit professionals surveyed are already using AI in their daily work. Common uses include content creation, note-taking, donor research, segmentation, and wealth screening.

The challenge will be maintaining the human element. Donors don't want relationships with software.

What to do: Use AI for efficiency, research, and analysis. Keep donor relationships personal. AFP recommends using AI to support deeper personalization rather than producing generic communications at scale.

Donor Data Will Matter More

Personalized fundraising depends on good information. Outdated addresses, duplicate records, missing donor preferences, and incomplete giving histories make effective stewardship harder.

AFP identifies data quality as a major factor in fundraising effectiveness in 2026.

What to do: Schedule regular database cleanup. Decide what information your organization needs to collect and establish consistent procedures for entering it.

The Best Prediction? Stick to the Fundamentals

New technology and giving methods will continue to emerge. Economic conditions will change. The next fundraising trend is already somewhere around the corner.

The fundamentals haven't changed as much.

Build relationships. Thank donors. Communicate impact. Maintain good data. Diversify revenue. Follow a strategic development plan instead of chasing every new opportunity.

As I've written before, fundraising becomes a game of Whack-a-Mole when organizations continually react to the newest opportunity instead of working their plan.

No crystal ball required.

Cheers,

Michelle Crim, CFRE

Dynamic Development Strategies can help. We offer coaching, program design, grant writing, and fundraising services for our nonprofit clients. We specialize in small to mid-size organizations because we understand your challenges. Please contact us for more information.