Future-Proofing Your Philanthropy Strategy for 2026

Federal financing cuts; attacks on equity, immigrants, the rule of law, and the country's democracy; a brand-new tax bill; and the growing usage of synthetic intelligence are simply some of the elements that have upended the nonprofit world. In the middle of this upheaval, how can funders and their grantees get ready for 2026 and beyond? In this unique plan, you'll speak with foundation leaders and significant donors about providing trends in the coming year and efforts to react to Trump administration hazards.

You'll find vibrant forecasts from leaders and thinkers throughout the sector about what lies ahead, including what the sector will appear like five years from now, and how to react to what assures to be another unmatched year. It's time to shed our fear and acknowledge that those who desire change will fail if the individuals closest to the cash do not have the guts to bear the most risk.

Kathleen Enright, president & CEO, Council on Foundations The humanitarian sector should be clear-eyed about the obstacles ahead: the pattern of targeted attacks and federal government overreach created to suppress our most essential freedoms. John Palfrey, president, MacArthur Foundation Nonprofits are addicted to the hamster wheel of fundraising, and in 2026, AI might supersize both the wheel and the dependency.

Michael McAfee, CEO, PolicyLink It's hard to picture passage anytime soon of legislation requiring higher payout rates. Bella DeVaan and Chuck Collins collaborate the Charity Reform Effort, Institute for Policy Studies Communication is no longer background sound.

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Dimple Abichandani, author of A New Era of Philanthropy. Lighthouse illustration by Greg Mably for The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Findings from Church Mutual can assist guide nonprofits as they navigate 2026 and changes in generational giving.

With that, here are 5 key takeaways from the Church Mutual 2026 study: The Church Mutual study discovered homes of worship continue to take in the lion's share of contributions. All four generations represented (Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and Infant Boomers) donated primarily to places of worship, constituting 74% of charitable contributions.

Organizations that have spiritual ties ought to stress this connection to donors, especially if they actively support homes of worship or schools. Another essential finding from the study was that donors tended to make their contributions towards completion of the year (OctoberDecember). Throughout the 4 generations, end-of-year contributions made up the highest percentage, with JanuaryMarch taking second place, followed by AprilJune, then JulySeptember.

In addition, out of the four generations, Gen Z was probably to give throughout the slowest time of the year (JulySeptember). Those who operate in the not-for-profit space should keep in mind of the end-of-year influx in donations, which suggests that OctoberDecember projects such as Giving Tuesday occasions, matches, etc, might bring in a fundraising windfall.

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That said, "slow-down" durations must not be disregarded, as the more youthful generations may still be inclined to offer even when the older ones are not. The survey consists of a section that information "donation expectations" for 2026, and it is these findings that might sound alarm bells. On the one hand, around half of donors (48%) said they will not make any modifications to their monetary contributions, with Boomers being the group most likely to leave their charitable providing the same.

Millennials were determined as the group most likely to cut their providing, whereas Gen Z was not just recognized as the group least most likely to cut their giving, however likewise the group more than likely to increase their giving up 2026. Church Mutual has a couple of areas committed to the primary financial concerns of donors, something that falls beyond the scope of this post.

One finding that nonprofits should also be conscious of is that a bulk of donors have issues about the monetary health of the groups they support. Church Mutual found that 54% of donors are stressed over the monetary health of the receivers of their donations. By generation, Gen Z was the most concerned, followed by millennials and Gen X respectively, while Boomers were the least worried.

They should be prepared to address more youthful donors' issues and be proactive in addressing any issues affecting the company internally. Doing so could make a difference in winning over more youthful donors throughout economically uncertain times. While lower financial contributions may be uneasy for nonprofits, there might be some great news.

When asked if they would increase "time and effort" to assist in other methods need to they reduce their monetary contributions, a majority of donors indicated they would; 26% stated they were "very likely" and 32% said "somewhat likely," equaling 58% of donors overall. The research study recommends these responses might imply "strong capacity to convert minimized financial providing into more volunteering, advocacy, or other non-financial support." In the face of smaller monetary contributions, nonprofits ought to lean into other channels to engage their donors.

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There are other findings from Church Mutual that were not covered in this article, such as contribution methods and the top monetary concerns of donors, and so I encourage all those in the nonprofit area to read through the report. The findings from Church Mutual can help assist nonprofits as they browse 2026, especially as Gen Z starts to take on a more popular function in the offering world.

Subscribe to the Johnson Center's e-mail newsletter! This year marks a milestone for the Johnson Center: the tenth edition of our 11 Patterns in Philanthropy report. What started in 2017 as a modest supplement to our yearly report has become a commonly read and talked about publication, reaching more than 100,000 readers each year.

Typically, these posts check out brand-new shifts or developing motions throughout the field of philanthropy. For this tenth edition, however, we have taken a various approach. Instead of recognizing a wholly new set of emerging trends, we have actually turned our attention backward to assess the themes that have shaped our sector over the past ten years, and to call both withstanding shifts and new developments.

It is also an acknowledgment of the moment we discover ourselves in a minute of hyper disruption, that integrates both excellent stress and anxiety about where we are headed and terrific possibility for what might come next. Our future feels more unsure than ever, however the chance to create and scale life-changing innovations for our neighborhoods feels present.

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As executive orders, legal contests, and legal debates play out, we do not have a clear photo of just how much federal financing has actually been rescinded or withheld from nonprofits and neighborhoods. We do not understand how numerous nonprofits have closed or will close their doors, the number of personnel have lost their jobs, or the number of neighborhoods have actually lost access to critical services.