GivingTuesday 2025 Shatters Records With $4B Raised

Americans showed up for GivingTuesday 2025, donating $4 billion on Dec. 2 — a 13% increase over last year’s record, according to the GivingTuesday Data Commons. An estimated 38.1 million people participated, pushing the cumulative total of GivingTuesday donations since its 2012 launch to $22.5 billion.

It all unfolded against a backdrop of political tension, economic uncertainty and ongoing disruptions across the sector, GivingTuesday CEO Asha Curran said.

“Year after year, millions of people across the globe make GivingTuesday a priority, not because it’s a trend or because it’s new, but because generosity is woven into how we care for each other,” she said in a statement. “The fact that people show up so strongly not just on GivingTuesday, but every single day, in the spirit of generosity, speaks volumes about our ability to unite around a shared vision for a better world, especially during a year as challenging as this one.”

The mix of generosity provides a more nuanced picture of how Americans chose to participate this year. While dollars donated remain central, the fastest-growing categories were volunteering and advocacy — two pathways donors use to build connection with the causes they care about beyond financial transactions. This year:

• 19.1 million people made financial contributions (up 3%).
• 13.5 million donated goods (up 4%).
• 11.1 million volunteered (up 20%).
• 20.9 million spoke out about causes (up 26%).

This year’s GivingTuesday tops 2024, a record-breaking year on its own that generated $3.6 billion from 36.1 million participants. But GivingTuesday is actually a global movement, now operating across more than 110 countries, with new national campaigns launching this year in countries such as Gambia, Guatemala, Mozambique and Qatar. 

GivingTuesday Donors Stick Around

GivingTuesday continues to evolve as a grassroots, community-led effort rather than a singular fundraising day. Donors on this day are among the most loyal in an organization’s file, according to a recent special report from the Blackbaud Institute and GivingTuesday. The analysis found that 65% of 2024 GivingTuesday donors gave again in 2025, compared with 52% of donors who gave earlier in the year — a retention gap that has held steady for five years.

Gift sizes have grown as well. In 2024, the mean GivingTuesday gift reached $506, while the median gift hit $75, representing double-digit growth since 2019. That trend suggests significant potential for nonprofits to move first-time GivingTuesday donors toward larger or recurring commitments with the right stewardship.

Generational patterns reinforce this opportunity. The same report found Generation Z doubled its median GivingTuesday gifts since 2019, millennials and Generation X both increased their median gift levels, and baby boomers made up roughly 41% of GivingTuesday donors — while the Silent Generation posted the highest retention rate at 58%.

Together, these findings indicate that while GivingTuesday may capture a relatively small share of annual donors overall, it captures some of the most loyal ones across age groups.

What Early Platform Data Suggests About Donor Behavior

While GivingTuesday’s top-line totals come from a multiplatform analysis, early figures from individual technology vendors add texture to how donors behaved this year — and where nonprofits saw the strongest momentum.

Across platforms, three themes stand out: strong donor acquisition, broad participation from small-dollar givers and surging interest in recurring and alternative payment methods.

Broad Donor Growth and Strong Participation

Several platforms reported sizable GivingTuesday gains.

This year, nonprofits using Bloomerang raised a record $76 million — about a third more than GivingTuesday 2024 — with the platform reporting an 82% increase in donations made via digital wallets year over year.

Meanwhile, GoFundMe Pro saw a 13% increase in donors across its crowdfunding and nonprofit software business, alongside elevated traffic every hour compared with 2024. Givebutter reported an approximate 73% jump in transactions and donor counts compared with the three days prior, reinforcing the intensity of day-specific engagement GivingTuesday generates.

Corporate giving also played a major role. Benevity reported more than $150 million donated through its platform — the company’s largest single-day giving and volunteering event ever. More than 165,000 individuals supported nearly 60,000 nonprofits across 114 countries, underscoring the importance of employer-led and workplace-giving channels.

Small-Dollar Donors Were a Major Force

Givebutter’s data showed that 38% of gifts were less than $50 and 60% were less than $100, signaling a broad base of participation. This small-dollar energy mirrors what many nonprofits saw last year and reinforces GivingTuesday’s role as an on-ramp for younger, first-time and small-dollar donors.

Neon One nonprofits attracted more than 50,000 donors — more than a quarter of whom were new to the organizations — who contributed $25.6 million. That aligns with the company’s data that showed that 48% of GivingTuesday donors give again before year-end when stewarded well.

Recurring Giving and Donor-Advised Fund Payments Gained Ground

Another major trend in 2025: Donors continued shifting toward sustainable, long-term giving behaviors.

GoFundMe Pro saw a 25% increase in new recurring giving plans, a metric the platform tracks closely because recurring donors are roughly 10 times more valuable over time than one-time givers. Bloomerang also reported a 66% increase in recurring donations compared with last year’s GivingTuesday. 

Those spikes, during an economically uncertain year, suggest donors are more comfortable committing to smaller, ongoing contributions that fit their budgets — similar to broader consumer behavior, including the 8.9% year-over-year increase in buy now, pay later spending reported this Black Friday.

DAF giving saw meaningful growth as well. Chariot — whose DAFpay technology embeds donor-advised fund contributions directly into a nonprofit’s donation page — reported its highest transaction volume day ever, more than double 2024’s total and slightly exceeding October’s DAF Day. The platform also saw its highest payout totals on record, surpassing its entire October total. 

Turning One Day Into Year-Round Engagement

For nonprofits, the most important work begins after GivingTuesday. Platform data, participation trends and multiyear research point to several steps organizations can take now.

Treat GivingTuesday as the Start of a Relationship

Timely, personalized stewardship increases the likelihood of a second gift. Thank donors quickly, show early impact and invite them to stay engaged — whether through another gift, volunteering or advocacy.

Build a Dedicated Journey for GivingTuesday Newcomers

With roughly one in six GivingTuesday donors classified as first-time givers in the Blackbaud-GivingTuesday analysis, organizations should consider a tailored welcome series that introduces the mission and offers a clear, low-bar next step.

Lean Into Recurring Giving

The big surges in new recurring plans across platforms — and their strong long-term value — reflect a broader donor appetite for sustainable giving. Clear monthly giving options and messaging about affordability can help convert one-time donors into year-round supporters.

Recognize Generosity Beyond Financial Gifts

With volunteering and cause advocacy up nationally, organizations should ensure their systems track and acknowledge these actions. Volunteers and advocates are often future donors, so ignoring their contributions risks losing high-potential relationships.