Proven Community Engagement Models for Impact

Federal financing cuts; attacks on equity, immigrants, the guideline of law, and the nation's democracy; a new tax costs; and the growing use of expert system are just a few of the elements that have actually overthrown the nonprofit world. Amidst this turmoil, how can funders and their grantees prepare for 2026 and beyond? In this special bundle, you'll hear from foundation leaders and major donors about giving trends in the coming year and efforts to react to Trump administration hazards.

You'll find strong predictions from leaders and thinkers across the sector about what lies ahead, including what the sector will look like 5 years from now, and how to react to what assures to be another unprecedented year. It's time to shed our fear and acknowledge that those who desire modification will stop working if individuals closest to the cash lack the guts to bear the most run the risk of.

Kathleen Enright, president & CEO, Council on Foundations The humanitarian sector must be clear-eyed about the challenges ahead: the pattern of targeted attacks and federal government overreach developed to stifle our most fundamental freedoms. John Palfrey, president, MacArthur Foundation Nonprofits are addicted to the hamster wheel of fundraising, and in 2026, AI might supersize both the wheel and the dependency.

Michael McAfee, CEO, PolicyLink It's hard to envision passage anytime soon of legislation requiring greater payout rates. Bella DeVaan and Chuck Collins coordinate the Charity Reform Initiative, Institute for Policy Researches Communication is no longer background noise.

How Corporate Giving Improves Pediatric Health

Dimple Abichandani, author of A Brand-new Period of Philanthropy. Lighthouse illustration by Greg Mably for The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Findings from Church Mutual can help direct nonprofits as they navigate 2026 and changes in generational offering. In December of 2025, the "2026 Charitable Giving in America" survey was carried out by Church Mutual, taking responses from 1,010 adults who contribute economically to nonprofits and other charitable causes. According to a post on the study from NonProfitPro, Church Mutual shows several essential patterns within the not-for-profit fundraising world, consisting of the disconcerting truth that donors are planning to scale back their offering in 2026.

With that, here are five crucial takeaways from the Church Mutual 2026 study: The Church Mutual survey discovered holy places continue to take in the lion's share of donations. All 4 generations represented (Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and Infant Boomers) donated mostly to locations of worship, making up 74% of charitable donations.

Organizations that have spiritual ties must emphasize this connection to donors, particularly if they actively support holy places or schools. Another essential finding from the survey was that donors tended to make their contributions toward the end of the year (OctoberDecember). Throughout the 4 generations, end-of-year donations made up the greatest percentage, with JanuaryMarch taking second location, followed by AprilJune, then JulySeptember.

Additionally, out of the 4 generations, Gen Z was probably to offer during the slowest time of the year (JulySeptember). Those who operate in the not-for-profit space needs to keep in mind of the end-of-year influx in contributions, which suggests that OctoberDecember projects such as Offering Tuesday events, matches, and so on, might bring in a fundraising windfall.

Effective Community Engagement Models for Success

That said, "slow-down" durations ought to not be disregarded, as the younger generations might still be inclined to provide even when the older ones are not. The study includes an area that information "contribution 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 financial contributions, with Boomers being the group more than likely to leave their charitable providing the same.

Millennials were determined as the group most likely to cut their giving, whereas Gen Z was not only identified as the group least likely to cut their giving, but likewise the group probably to increase their giving up 2026. Church Mutual has a few sections committed to the primary monetary issues of donors, something that falls beyond the scope of this post.

One finding that nonprofits must likewise know is that a bulk of donors have issues about the monetary health of the groups they support. Church Mutual discovered that 54% of donors are fretted about the financial 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 need to be prepared to attend to more youthful donors' issues and be proactive in addressing any problems affecting the company internally. Doing so could make a distinction in winning over more youthful donors during economically uncertain times. While lower financial contributions may be uneasy for nonprofits, there may be some great news.

When asked if they would increase "effort and time" to assist in other methods must they lower their monetary contributions, a bulk of donors indicated they would; 26% said they were "very most likely" and 32% stated "somewhat most likely," equating to 58% of donors in general. The research study recommends these actions could indicate "strong potential to convert lowered financial giving into more volunteering, advocacy, or other non-financial assistance." In the face of smaller monetary contributions, nonprofits ought to lean into other channels to engage their donors.

Building Stronger Community Service Initiatives

There are other findings from Church Mutual that were not covered in this post, such as donation methods and the top financial priorities of donors, and so I motivate all those in the not-for-profit area to check out the report. The findings from Church Mutual can help assist nonprofits as they browse 2026, particularly as Gen Z begins to handle a more prominent function in the giving world.

Sign up for the Johnson Center's email newsletter! This year marks a turning point for the Johnson Center: the tenth edition of our 11 Trends in Philanthropy report. What began in 2017 as a modest supplement to our annual report has actually turned into an extensively read and discussed publication, reaching more than 100,000 readers each year.

Normally, these posts check out new shifts or progressing movements across the field of philanthropy. For this tenth edition, nevertheless, we have actually taken a various technique. Instead of recognizing an entirely brand-new set of emerging patterns, we have turned our attention backward to review the styles that have actually formed our sector over the past 10 years, and to call both withstanding shifts and brand-new advancements.

It is likewise a recommendation of the minute we find ourselves in a minute of hyper disruption, that combines both great anxiety about where we are headed and excellent possibility for what might come next. Our future feels more unpredictable than ever, but the chance to produce and scale life-changing developments for our communities feels present.

Effective Community Outreach Frameworks for Success

As executive orders, legal contests, and legal arguments play out, we do not have a clear photo of just how much federal funding has been rescinded or kept from nonprofits and neighborhoods. We do not know the number of nonprofits have closed or will close their doors, the number of personnel have lost their tasks, or the number of communities have actually lost access to important services.