Report: How the Creator Economy Is Rebuilding Generosity With Young Donors

Tiltify, a fundraising infrastructure platform connecting creators and causes at scale, released its 2025 Giving Season Report, revealing how digital creators are rebuilding donor participation at a time when traditional philanthropy struggles to engage younger Americans. The data shows 61% of Gen Z say a creator's involvement makes them more likely to donate to charity. Meanwhile, creator-led campaigns on Tiltify's platform in 2025 saw a 46% increase in total funds raised compared to the previous year.

The findings, drawn from national surveys of 1,000 donors and 1,000 creators, illustrate how the creator economy is restoring grassroots giving as overall charitable donations become increasingly concentrated among wealthy, older donors. While U.S. charitable giving reached a record $592.5B in 2024, the overall number of individual donors continues to decline. Tiltify's report shows that while institutional philanthropy has become increasingly concentrated among wealthy donors, creator-led campaigns are restoring grassroots participation among the next generation of givers.

The report reveals that one in three American donors plans to give less this giving season, but digital-first giving is accelerating, driven by Gen Z and Millennials. 67% of Gen Z have increased their giving since the pandemic, and nearly one-third have donated through creator-led fundraisers. Among creators, 44% report raising more money this year for causes, closely mirroring Tiltify platform data showing a 46% overall rise across tens of thousands of campaigns.

"As donor participation declines, creators are showing that generosity can still be vibrant, social, and sustained," said Michael Wasserman, co-founder and CEO of Tiltify. "The creator economy is rewriting the playbook for philanthropy by turning giving into a shared, visible, and participatory experience. This data shows it's working: when giving is interactive and authentic, you unlock a new generation of donors."

Younger generations are redefining generosity in the digital age. Despite controlling just 6–7% of U.S. household wealth, Gen Z donors are giving at rates comparable to older generations. Most Gen Z donors (31%) give between $50 and $249 annually, a range that is also the most common among older generations. These younger donors give because they care deeply about causes, and those causes are increasingly surfaced by the creators and online personalities they trust. If prompted by their favorite creator, 85% of Gen Z and 77% of Millennials say they'd likely donate, compared to just 57% of Gen X and 34% of Boomers.

Other top findings:

• 33% of Gen Z say they're likely to donate to a creator's charity fundraiser on sites like YouTube or Twitch this holiday season, while 8% say they're likely to donate to a TV telethon featuring celebrity actors or musicians.
• 60% of surveyed creators expect to increase their fundraising in 2026.
• 88% of Americans say creator-led fundraising might or will become more common than traditional fundraising methods in the next five years.
• Smaller, tightly knit communities achieve 5–10% donor conversion, compared with 1–2% among large, passive followings.
• Digital campaigns featuring live dashboards, visible donation tracking, and progress tools raise approximately 41% more than those without them.
• Creators who host three or more campaigns per year report donor retention rates 36% higher than one-time fundraisers.
• Nearly 70% of donors were unaware of the new 2026 $1,000 charitable tax deduction for cash donations (available even without itemizing); once informed, 65% said it would probably or definitely motivate them to give more.

"Philanthropy's future won't be defined by who gives the most, but by who brings the most people along," added Wasserman. "This data reinforces our mission at Tiltify: empowering creators and causes with the technology to build community-driven generosity at scale."

Access the "2025 Giving Season Report" here.

Source: Tiltify

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of NonProfit PRO.