Year-end giving statistics & what they mean for your nonprofit

Giving Tuesday gets the spotlight every fall, and for good reason. U.S. donors gave a record $4.0B on Giving Tuesday 2025.

But it’s only the start of the story. Nonprofits raised 37% of their 2025 online giving in December, and that giving didn’t all land on the big days. It spread across the whole month, while fewer people gave overall.

That makes year-end a month-long campaign, from Giving Tuesday through December 31. Below, we break down the latest year-end giving statistics and annual giving trends, plus 4 steps to plan for the whole month.

Key takeaways

• Giving Tuesday kicks it off 💪 Giving Tuesday keeps growing, which makes it a strong launch for your year-end campaign.
• December is full of opportunity 🌲 Donors give throughout the month, not just on the big days, and the final stretch is a strong finish.
• Supporters are giving more 📈 Fewer people are giving, but those who do are giving more, so deepening relationships with your current donors pays off.
• New donors are ready for a next step 💛 A quick thank-you and an impact update can turn a first gift into a lasting relationship.
• Automation helps you keep up 🧈 With Givebutter Plus workflows, your year-end appeals and thank-yous go out on schedule, even when your team is stretched thin.

Year-end giving stats: At a glance

December remained an important fundraising month in 2025. Here are the latest annual and year-end benchmarks to help guide your planning:

📌 Keep in mind: 2025 wasn’t a typical year. M+R calls its 15% growth “not normal” and points to crises like federal funding cuts as a driver, so this year’s results might differ.

Two patterns stand out. More money is coming from fewer donors, so keeping the supporters you already have matters more than ever. And more than a third of online revenue arrives in a single month, so December deserves a plan of its own.

December’s importance also varies by cause. Hunger and poverty nonprofits raised 46% of their 2025 online revenue in December, the highest share of any sector M+R tracked, although that giving was spread a bit more evenly across the month, with 8% of annual online revenue arriving in the last week of the year (compared with 10% overall).

💡 What this means for your nonprofit: Look at your own December giving from last year before you plan. Knowing whether your gifts cluster around Giving Tuesday, mid-month, or the final days shows you where to put your team’s energy.

Giving Tuesday statistics: At a glance

Giving Tuesday is where many year-end campaigns begin, and it kept growing in 2025. Here are the key Giving Tuesday stats from the U.S.:

• $4.0B donated, up 13% from 2024 (GivingTuesday reports cumulative donations of $22.5B since 2012)
• 38.1 million people participated, up 6%
• 19.1 million people made financial contributions
• 13.5 million people gave goods
• 11.1 million people volunteered, up 20%
• 20.9 million people spoke out about causes, up 26%
• 110+ countries have official Giving Tuesday movements

That’s a big audience to welcome into your year-end campaign. Giving Tuesday’s value can extend well beyond the day itself, too, if you plan prompt thank-yous, ongoing stewardship, and additional asks based on each donor’s history and engagement.

Learn more

Get started with the Giving Tuesday basics →

Giving Tuesday vs. the final week of December

Giving Tuesday opens the season, and the final days of December close it. Each does a different job in your year-end plan, so it helps to see them side by side:

💡 What this means for your nonprofit: Give both moments a dedicated place in your plan. Use Giving Tuesday to build visibility and welcome new supporters, then thank and steward them so your final appeals feel like a natural next step.

What happens between Giving Tuesday & December 31

Giving Tuesday is a big day for the sector, but December’s fundraising opportunity extends well beyond it. M+R found that December online giving rose 11% for the average nonprofit in 2025.

The final days matter, but they’re only part of the picture. Nonprofits raised 37% of their annual online giving in December, with 10% arriving in the last week of the year.

💡 What this means for your nonprofit: Don’t go quiet after Giving Tuesday. Keep your campaign running all month with thank-yous, impact updates, and relevant asks for each donor segment.

Dive deeper

Learn how to secure & promote Giving Tuesday matching gifts →

How to plan a month-long year-end campaign in 4 steps

These year-end giving statistics point to 4 moves: start strong on Giving Tuesday, keep momentum after Giving Tuesday, hold on to new donors, and finish with a plan for the final days.
Here’s how to tackle each one. For a month-by-month plan that starts in October, check out our year-end giving timeline.

1. Plan December as one campaign, starting on Giving Tuesday 🎁

Design your Giving Tuesday campaign as the kickoff for the rest of your year-end giving, not a standalone event. Keep the same story, goal, and campaign page running through December 31, so every appeal builds on the last.

Givebutter Magic can generate a campaign first draft, including a compelling story, suggested goal, branding, and images, based on your organization’s website. Recommended goals start with a suggested target and raise it as your campaign gains momentum, which helps carry Giving Tuesday energy into the rest of December.

Freebie alert!

Download the free Giving Tuesday toolkit →

2. Keep momentum after Giving Tuesday 📬

It’s easy to go quiet after Giving Tuesday, but donors keep giving all month, so give this stretch as much thought as the big days.

Instead of repeating the same urgent ask, send messages that match where each donor is: an impact update for Giving Tuesday donors, a friendly reminder for last year’s donors who haven’t given yet, and a story for supporters who haven’t given at all.

Givebutter’s free drag-and-drop email editor makes it easy to build branded year-end emails from nonprofit-ready templates, with a donate button that takes supporters straight to your campaign. With Givebutter Plus, you can add live goal bars that show progress toward your goal and set up workflows to send follow-ups automatically. Nonprofits on Givebutter that use workflows raise about 2x more than those that don’t.

More to explore

Steal these year-end email strategies →

3. Thank & steward new donors right away 💛

New donors made up 31% of online giving in 2025, and one-time gifts grew faster than monthly gifts as donors responded to urgent needs. But M+R found that only 24% of new online one-time donors give again the following year, compared with 66% of prior donors. That gap makes the weeks after a first gift a key moment to show new donors the difference they made.

“Consistency isn’t only an operational thing—it fosters belonging and connection, and builds trust with your donors.” — Mallory Erickson, Executive Coach & Fundraising Consultant

Givebutter’s nonprofit CRM makes this easier. Tag your Giving Tuesday donors, segment lapsed vs. active donors, and use contact profiles to personalize each thank-you. Smart filters can even build a segment from a plain-language description, like donors who gave last December but haven’t given yet this year.

Dive deeper

Create impact reports that speak directly to donors →

4. Build your final 6 days before December gets busy 🗓️

M+R found that the last week of the year accounted for 10% of annual online revenue in 2025, with December 31 alone contributing 4%. Draft these emails before Giving Tuesday arrives, so your final push is ready when your team is stretched thin. Here’s what a year-end appeal schedule for the final 6 days of the year might look like:

• Dec. 26: Reconnect with donors and reinforce their final opportunity to make an impact.
• Dec. 28: Remind donors who plan to claim a charitable deduction for 2026 to complete eligible gifts before year-end.
• Dec. 30: Create urgency with a “two days left” message for donors who haven’t given yet.
• Dec. 31: Send a final appeal in the morning and in the evening, reminding donors of their last chance to give.

If you use workflows, schedule the whole sequence ahead of time. That way, your December 31 appeal goes out even if your team is offline for the holiday.

Plan for all of December, not just Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday gets the headlines, but the data tells a bigger story. December brings in 37% of annual online revenue, the last week of the year accounts for 10%, and December 31 alone delivers 4%. In between, donors keep giving, and new donors can drift away without a timely thank-you.

The nonprofits that make the most of year-end giving treat it as one month-long campaign. Kick it off on Giving Tuesday, keep your messages relevant through the rest of the month, thank new donors right away, and have your final 6 days ready before the holidays hit.

Givebutter keeps your nonprofit CRM, campaigns, and emails in one place, so your team can plan and track every year-end touchpoint without switching tools.

Sign up for Givebutter today to plan your month-long year-end campaign.

FAQs about year-end giving statistics

What percentage of online giving happens in December?

Nonprofits raised 37% of their 2025 online revenue in December, according to the M+R Benchmarks 2026 report. The last week of the year brought in 10% of annual online revenue, and December 31 alone accounted for 4%. The share varies by cause: hunger and poverty nonprofits raised 46% of their online revenue in December.

Why is December 31 important for online fundraising?

December 31 is the final day for gifts to count toward the current tax year for donors who claim a charitable deduction, which makes it a natural deadline for year-end appeals. M+R reports that December 31 accounted for 4% of annual online revenue in 2025, making it an important date in any year-end fundraising plan.

How much was raised on Giving Tuesday 2025?

U.S. donors gave $4.0B on Giving Tuesday 2025, which GivingTuesday reports is up 13% from 2024. GivingTuesday reports that 38.1 million Americans took part, with 19.1 million giving money, 13.5 million donating goods, and 11.1 million volunteering. GivingTuesday also reports cumulative donations of $22.5B since 2012.

How effective is Giving Tuesday for nonprofits?

Giving Tuesday can support fundraising, donor engagement, and campaign visibility. In 2025, 19.1 million Americans gave money, and 11.1 million volunteered. Its effectiveness for an individual nonprofit depends on its goals, audience, costs, and follow-up strategy, so plan thank-yous and stewardship before the day arrives.