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What changed in donor behavior in 2025 and why it matters in 2026
Fundraise Up’s Pulse of the Donor 2026 report describes 2025 as a “paradox year” for nonprofits: average gift sizes went down, but conversion rose, mobile became the majority channel, and social quietly built recurring donor pipelines faster than email.
We believe that the organizations that grow in 2026 will be the ones that build fundraising infrastructure around how donors actually give today: mobile-first, social-driven, and commitment-led.
Below are five donor trends from the report that fundraising teams can act on right now.
Key stats from Pulse of the Donor 2026
- 1% decline in average one-time gift size
- 50%+ share of donations made on mobile in the US, UK, and Australia
- 2x social conversions to recurring vs. email within 60 days
Trend 1: Mobile giving crossed the 50% threshold
What the data shows
Mobile now accounts for 50%+ of donations in the US, UK, and Australia. The report also notes mobile transaction times are faster than desktop.
Why this matters for nonprofits
Mobile is no longer “a smaller version” of your donation experience. For many organizations, it’s the primary entry point. When donors arrive on mobile, the standard is speed and simplicity.
What to do next
- Treat mobile checkout optimization as a core revenue lever,k.
- Reduce friction: fewer fields, faster load time, autofill, and mobile-first layouts.
- Measure mobile-specific metrics weekly in active campaigns: completion time, drop-off points, and payment method mix.
Trend 2: Social is the best recurring donor pipeline
What the data shows
The report finds social donors are 2x more likely to convert to recurring within 60 days vs. email. In the US, social’s 60-day recurring rate is 5.8% vs. 2.9% for email.
Why this matters for nonprofits
If you judge social by first gift size, you will undervalue it. Social often delivers smaller first gifts, but it can deliver stronger commitment when the post-gift journey is built to support it.
What to do next
- Track social performance using 60-day recurring conversion alongside first gift value.
- Run cohort analysis at 60 days, 90 days, and 6 months.
- Build channel-specific post-gift journeys so social donors receive the right follow-up at the right pace.
Trend 3: Smaller gifts are masking real recurring growth
What the data shows
Average one-time gift amounts declined in several markets while conversion rose. In the US, the report highlights a pattern where monthly gift sizes fell while recurring enrollment grew.
Why this matters for nonprofits
A smaller first gift doesn’t automatically mean donors are pulling back. Often it signals a faster decision and a lower-friction first step. The bigger question is whether your experience helps donors move from a one-time moment to a longer relationship.
What to do next
- Stop using average gift size as your primary health metric.
- Track recurring enrollment rate, upgrades, saves, and retention by channel.
- Align recurring asks to donor context, especially on mobile.
Trend 4: Digital wallets are growing fast and changing gift behaviour
What the data shows
Digital wallets are the fastest-growing payment category in all four markets. The report notes a consistent tradeoff: faster checkout often comes with smaller one-time gifts in most markets. It also references an Express Checkout release associated with a 1.5% increase in one-time donation conversions on mobile web.
Why this matters for nonprofits
Donors are choosing speed. Supporting Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and similar options reduces friction and can lift conversion, even if gift size shifts.
What to do next
- Make express checkout options primary on mobile.
- Add post-gift upsells or recurring prompts after wallet completions.
- Segment reporting by payment method so you understand lifetime value, not just first-gift value.
Trend 5: Donor self-service tools reduce cancellations
What the data shows
The report shows donor portal engagement rose across markets (for example: UK +26%, Canada +25%, US +18%). It also highlights that “save flows” that route cancellation attempts to payment updates can reduce completed cancellations.
Why this matters for nonprofits
Retention improvements increasingly come from operational infrastructure: payment retries, smart save flows, and donor control tools. When donors can manage their relationship easily, they’re less likely to cancel.
What to do next
- Ensure donors can update payment methods, pause, or reduce recurring gifts in a donor portal.
- Use proactive card expiry reminders (30–60 days before expiry).
- Track cancellation attempt outcomes (cancel vs. update payment) to see where the program is actually leaking.
How SimpliPhi helps teams act on these donor trends
Donor behaviour is changing quickly. That creates a predictable internal problem for medium and large nonprofits: more channels, more systems, more complexity, and more uncertainty in reporting.
SimpliPhi provides fundraising enablement solutions that give fundraising teams the confidence and clarity to engage the right audiences and drive stronger fundraising results.
Charity Automator Data Flow
Keeps fundraising systems aligned and continuously synced so teams trust current CRM data, reduce manual work, errors, and campaign delays.
Charity Automator Data Warehouse
Centralizes fundraising data for visibility, shared metrics, and confident decision-making.
AmpliPhi
AmpliPhi.app helps fundraising teams build and validate audiences so campaigns reach the people most likely to respond, without waiting on exports or second-guessing.
Clarity removes hesitation. Confidence improves execution.
If your team is reviewing your 2026 strategy and wants a clearer view across systems, we’re ready to support that work. Contact us or book a call with our team:
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