15 Compelling Nonprofit Stats From 2024

Giving may have ups or downs each year, but knowing the trajectory of the nonprofit sector trends can help your organization in its next strategic planning session. That’s why it’s important to have NonProfit PRO in your corner. Every year, we report the latest nonprofit data and what it means for your nonprofit. So here’s a statistical summary of 2024 coverage to help you and your nonprofit grow your impact — and revenue — in 2025.

1. Charitable Dollars Rose 3.7% Through June — the Largest Second-Quarter Jump in 4 Years

The Fundraising Effectiveness Project’s 2023’s full year data, released in April, continued to show there were fewer donors giving to and fewer dollars going toward nonprofits. But since then, the quarterly data report has revealed some more promising figures. For example, the most recent report, which reviews data through June of 2024, shows a 3.7%  jump in dollars donated — a trend line researchers expect to continue.

2. Total Giving Surpasses $500 Million for Third Consecutive Year

For 2023, the latest year for which data is available, The Giving Institute’s “Giving USA 2024: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2023” recorded $557.16 billion — a combined tally for gifts from individuals ($374.4 billion), foundations ($103.53 billion), bequests ($42.68 billion) and corporations ($36.55 billion). While that figure boasts a 1.9% increase over the 2022 total, it did not outperform inflation.

3. Half of Nonprofit Leaders Cited Donor Acquisition as a Top Challenge

Nonprofit professionals expressed donor acquisition as the greatest hurdle to success this year, with 47% of survey respondents reporting it as a challenge, according to NonProfit PRO’s annual “Nonprofit Leadership Impact Study,” This was a 10-percentage-point jump from what was indicated in the 2023 survey, reflecting difficulties with acquisition sector-wide.

4. 56% of Nonprofits Don’t Have a Donor Engagement Strategy

Despite admitted challenges with donor acquisition, 56% of nonprofit leaders indicated that their organizations don’t create donor engagement strategies, according to NonProfit PRO’s inaugural “Nonprofit Fundraising Study.” Of the 44% of leaders whose nonprofits create donor engagement strategies, 71% used digital communications, 70% hosted events, 64% used face-to-face communications, 64% employed storytelling, 57% leveraged impact reporting and 55% recognized gifts.

5. New Digital Donors Are 48% More Valuable Than Their Offline Counterparts

Digital-first nonprofits are growing at faster rates than the average nonprofit, according to Next After’s “2024 Digital Fundraising Benchmark Report,” which also cited more benefits to finding donors online. Donors who were acquired online in 2023 gave 19.4% more in their first year, resulting in them being 48% more valuable than offline donors.

6. Year-End Giving Drops to 5% of Annual Online Revenue

Online fundraising at year end accounted for 5% of annual donations — a 2% drop from the previous year, M+R discovered in its annual “Benchmarks” report. Year-end donors don’t seem to carry the same weight they used to for many organizations, proving that putting an emphasis on long-term donors is the better long-term strategy. Onboarding new recurring donors remains a lucrative approach as they maintain higher lifetime values, according to M+R, with monthly gifts making up 31% of online fundraising.

7. GivingTuesday Breaks Record With 16% Surge in Donations

Donors gave an estimated $3.6 billion on GivingTuesday 2024, according to GivingTuesday Data Commons. The giving day, which took place on Dec. 2, experienced a 16% increase in dollars over 2023, as well as a 7% increase in participation. Participants also advocated, gave goods and volunteered their time on GivingTuesday.

8. Volunteer Work Is Worth $33.49 Per Hour

The value of a volunteer hour increased 5.3% since last year, reaching $33.49 on average across the United States, according to data from Independent Sector and the University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute. Breaking down the data into the 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, values range from $15.82 per hour in Puerto Rico to $50.88 per hour in Washington, D.C.

However, these estimates, which are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ estimated hourly earnings of private sector workers, may be undervalued as volunteers do not reap many of the intangible benefits that come with private sector employment.

9. The Rate of Corporate Volunteerism Grew 57% Globally

Year over year, the rate of global employee volunteering participation increased by 57%, according to Benevity’s “The State of Corporate Volunteering” report. Meanwhile, the total number of volunteer hours dedicated by companies and their employees globally rose by 41% year-over-year.

This growth was tied to companies' efforts to foster employee connection in the post-pandemic era, where many people work in hybrid or remote environments.

10. Nearly Three-Quarters of Nonprofit Collaborations Were Successful

Data from the Sustained Collaboration Network found that 73% of nonprofits that worked together attained measurable success, including expansions in service, increases in funding and improvements in program outcomes. The types of collaborations the reports examined included two or more organizations that merged, shared a program, collaborated on a service and acted as part of an alliance or network.

11. Future Giving Could Rise Up to 4.2% Annually

In early 2024, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University shared its expectations in “The Philanthropy Outlook 2024 and 2025,” predicting a 4.2% giving increase in 2024, followed by an additional 3.9% spike in 2025. The above-average potential outcomes come after tumultuous times such as the pandemic, racial justice movement, stock market fluctuations and high inflation rates, but could still be altered by new disruptions, researchers warned.

12. 84% of Gen Zers Support Nonprofits, Charities or Causes In Some Way

According to data from the Blackbaud Institute, members of Generation Z are overall generous, with 84% reporting they support nonprofits, charities or causes that are important to them in some way. For instance, among Gen Zers who work at companies that offer workplace giving and volunteering, 89% and 92% of Gen Zers participate, respectively.

And while they are still developing as financial donors, one-third of Gen Zers said they plan to increase their donations in the coming year.

13. At Large Nonprofits, Women Hold 29% of CEO Posts and Earn Less Than Male Counterparts

Female CEOs are increasingly leading nonprofits, according to Candid’s “2024 Nonprofit Compensation Report.” Women hold about 60% of CEO positions at organizations with budgets less than $500,000. However, only 29% of CEO positions at organizations with budgets exceeding $50 million were held by women.

Additionally, there were gaps between male and female CEOs in terms of compensation. Female CEOs at nonprofits with budgets greater than $50 million earn $0.77 for every dollar earned by their male counterparts, which is a drop from the $0.82 per dollar female CEOs earned in 2012.

14. Nonprofit Salaries Remain Stagnant With Modest 1% Increase in U.S.

The “2024 AFP Compensation and Benefits Report” found the average 2023 nonprofit salary was $96,126 — nearly 1% higher year over year in the United States. Meanwhile, the average salary in Canada dropped more than 1% to $98,487. Organization size, as well as the individual’s job title, education level and gender, affect compensation.

15. Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Contributions Fall, Though Grants Remain Steady at $56 Billion

In 2022, donor-advised fund grants increased by about 9%, with most recent figures showing $55.53 billion granted that year through DAFs. Last year, DAF grants leveled out with a small decrease to $54.77 billion, according to National Philanthropic Trust’s “The 2024 Donor-Advised Fund Report.” New contributions to DAFs also cooled in 2023, as accounts received $59.43 billion, a 21.7% year-over-year drop.

Despite the declines, DAFs still maintain assets totaling $251.52 billion, making it a prime way to get gifts this year end and throughout 2025. In fact, the giving method has reached such great heights that the sector dedicated a giving day to DAFs.

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