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According to new Harris Poll findings for Vanguard Charitable, three in four Americans gave to charity over the past year, and 30% reported increasing the amount they donated compared with the previous year. Average giving reached $1,394, a 29% increase from 2024’s $1,081. Donors who set a budget and use structured tools give more, and they are more likely to increase their support. But for nonprofits, financial advisors, and giving platforms, this is a clear opportunity to earn trust by helping donors plan, track impact, and sustain higher levels of support across the year.
Giving Is Up, Especially Among Planned Donors
Three quarters (75%) of Americans gave in the past year, and among donors, 30% say their total giving rose. According to our research, the average amount of donation reached $1,394, up from $1,081 in 2024. Planning is the marker that separates higher giving from the rest, with nearly half of donors building charitable gifts into an annual budget and those who do so more likely to have increased their giving in the last 12 months, 43% versus 17% among donors without a budget.
Budgets Multiply Impact
Budgets correlate with larger gifts, with donors who plan their giving contributing an average of $3,001 compared with $808 among those without a charitable budget. Donor-advised fund donors give at even higher levels, averaging $4,341 over the past year, and planning is the norm in this group, with 88% maintaining a charitable budget and 49% increasing their giving year over year. As Rebecca Moffett, President of Vanguard Charitable, notes, “When donors plan, budget, and act with intention, their impact grows.”
Disaster Relief Draws More Dollars
Our research also found that donors directed more funds to disaster relief this year. Average disaster relief giving rose to $757, up from $477 in 2024. On average, disaster relief donors allocated 59% of their total giving to relief efforts. Planning again distinguishes higher levels of support, as donors with a charitable budget gave an average of $1,039 to disaster relief, compared with $397 among those without a budget. In addition, donors with donor advised funds averaged $1,874 for disaster relief, nearly three times the level of donors without a DAF.
What Brands Can Do
- Nonprofits and Development Teams: Encourage budgeting with pledge planners and recurring gifts that align to donor cash flow. Show progress with clear impact dashboards, year to date summaries, and disaster response updates.
- Financial Advisors and Wealth Platforms: Integrate a giving line into annual plans, forecast tax efficient timing, and make it simple to set or adjust a charitable budget. Provide clear guidance on DAFs, appreciated assets, and gifting strategies.
- Corporate and HR Leaders: Offer easy to use payroll giving and matching, with real time matching during emergencies. Share impact reports that connect employee gifts to outcomes in the community.
About the research
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Vanguard Charitable from October 21-23, 2025 among 2,065 U.S. adults, ages 18 and older, 1,478 of whom donated to charity in the past 12 months. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.
Learn more about Vanguard Charitable and their mission to increase philanthropic giving.
