Mar 2026
Nonprofit Trends by MissionWired
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The Narrative: Context & Takeaways
Results continue to fluctuate month to month, with YTD revenue pacing just -2% behind 2025.
In March, a great deal of urgent news held attention and increased uncertainty – most prominently, the U.S. launch of a war with Iran. Rising costs of gas and food compounded with concerns over more economic uncertainty to come, and nonprofits continue to face ongoing cuts to grant funding. Communities are taking action to speak out against these issues alongside immigration policies, the proposed SAVE Act, and more, and a No Kings protest rallied communities around the country near the end of the month.
The impact on fundraising across the industry was mixed – while small-sized organizations saw 29% YOY growth in revenue in March, large organizations were down -24% in average revenue. Year-over-year comparisons are held up against a 2025 that saw equally tumultuous lifts and dips in revenue, and March 2025 was an acutely urgent month with the dismantling of USAID and federal funding cuts to food banks. All told, despite a March 2026 that saw -13% lower revenue overall, year-to-date revenue is still pacing just -2% behind 2025 – suggesting that donors are still responding to rising need, but they’re doing it at different times and in response to breaking news moments as they arise.
Another key difference YOY lies in acquisition results: As of March, new acquisition is only making up about 5% of nonprofits’ donor files, with organizations investing less than they did at this time last year. As a result, average new donors are -38% lower than we saw in 2025. In challenging fundraising times, when pressure is put on nonprofits to do more with less, it can feel harder than ever to find the space in a budget for continued acquisition investment. Continuing to fuel your file with new donors is still essential for the long-term health of your program – and moments when other nonprofits pull back can open up the opportunity for you to get bold, be creative with your acquisition strategy, and drive meaningful growth.
-13%
Average total revenue decrease YOY
$73
Average gift, down -10% YOY
+29%
Small organizations’ average total revenue increase YOY
-2%
Decrease in CYTD revenue and total gifts
Navigate Results:
Results
| 2025 | 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Revenue | $582,680.72 | $573,209.92 | - 1.63% |
| Average Total Gifts | 10,187 | 9,956 | - 2.27% |
| Open Rate | 30.86% | 31.45% | + 1.90% |
| Click Rate | 2.37% | 1.67% | - 29.58% |
| New Donors | 43.88% | 40.89% | - 6.80% |
| Opt-Out Rate | 0.38% | 0.43% | + 11.14% |
| Average Revenue | $242,160.05 | $209,615.61 | - 13.44% |
| Average Total Gifts | 4,462 | 3,813 | - 14.54% |
| Open Rate | 27.66% | 30.42% | + 9.98% |
| Click Rate | 1.73% | 1.64% | - 5.46% |
| New Donors | 44.49% | 40.87% | - 8.14% |
| Opt-Out Rate | 0.34% | 0.37% | + 9.21% |
| Average Revenue | $88,889.45 | $138,516.68 | + 55.83% |
| Average Revenue | $563,186.28 | $578,065.99 | + 2.64% |
| Average Revenue | $1,095,966.43 | $1,003,047.07 | - 8.48% |
| Average Total Gifts | 1,101 | 1,551 | + 40.94% |
| Average Total Gifts | 7,980 | 8,661 | + 8.53% |
| Average Total Gifts | 21,481 | 19,655 | - 9.29% |
| Open Rate | 25.35% | 27.54% | + 8.65% |
| Open Rate | 28.25% | 30.09% | + 6.50% |
| Open Rate | 38.99% | 36.72% | - 5.83% |
| Click Rate | 2.96% | 2.46% | - 16.79% |
| Click Rate | 2.73% | 1.27% | - 53.35% |
| Click Rate | 1.41% | 1.27% | - 10.39% |
| New Donors | 42.30% | 47.36% | + 11.97% |
| New Donors | 45.36% | 37.89% | - 16.48% |
| New Donors | 43.97% | 37.43% | - 14.88% |
| Opt-Out Rate | 0.47% | 0.45% | - 4.26% |
| Opt-Out Rate | 0.31% | 0.46% | + 47.87% |
| Opt-Out Rate | 0.47% | 0.37% | - 20.32% |
| Average Revenue | $30,357.92 | $39,241.62 | + 29.26% |
| Average Revenue | $213,745.57 | $221,072.50 | + 3.43% |
| Average Revenue | $482,376.65 | $368,532.71 | - 23.60% |
| Average Total Gifts | 346 | 558 | + 61.36% |
| Average Total Gifts | 3,267 | 3,277 | + 0.32% |
| Average Total Gifts | 9,773 | 7,604 | - 22.19% |
| Open Rate | 17.27% | 27.55% | + 59.51% |
| Open Rate | 27.13% | 27.86% | + 2.70% |
| Open Rate | 38.59% | 35.86% | - 7.07% |
| Click Rate | 2.71% | 2.72% | + 0.24% |
| Click Rate | 1.47% | 1.14% | - 22.27% |
| Click Rate | 1.02% | 1.06% | + 3.61% |
| New Donors | 43.41% | 49.36% | + 13.72% |
| New Donors | 47.03% | 36.21% | - 22.99% |
| New Donors | 43.03% | 37.02% | - 13.97% |
| Opt-Out Rate | 0.46% | 0.45% | - 2.00% |
| Opt-Out Rate | 0.31% | 0.36% | + 13.87% |
| Opt-Out Rate | 0.24% | 0.30% | + 24.22% |
Revenue
Average Revenue Raised
The view below shows the average revenue raised across all digital channels for a nonprofit organization – excluding mid-level ($1,000+) donations and recurring (monthly) donations.
Average Total Gifts
Included below is the average number of total 1x gifts per nonprofit organization across all digital channels – excluding mid-level ($1,000+) and recurring (monthly) donations.
Average Gift
Defined as total revenue/total gifts, this chart shows the average 1x donation made across digital channels – excluding mid-level ($1,000+) and recurring (monthly) donations.
Acquisition
Average New Donors
Across all digital channels, the chart below shows, on average, how many 1x donations a nonprofit organization saw from first-time donors – excluding mid-level ($1,000+) and recurring (monthly) donations.
Average Active List Composition
Looking at all active email files, the chart below shows the average percentage of new acquisitions (new leads) that were added to the email file. This view shows the current year-to-date over previous years.
Email Engagement
Open Rate
Defined as total opens/total sent, this view shows the average email open rates across nonprofit organizations.
Click Rate
The view below shows the average click rate, defined as unique clicks/unique opens across nonprofit organizations.
Opt-Out Rate
The view below shows the average opt-out rate, defined as total opt-outs/total emails sent across nonprofit organizations.
Our Methodology
The results displayed are a view of more than 60 nonprofits across a variety of sectors. We have taken the metrics from these nonprofits and created averages for each of the KPIs so that nonprofits can easily see how their results compare. All fundraising metrics encompass all digital channels – including but not limited to email, SMS, advertising, and web. Each metric is broken down by nonprofit size, defined by the size of the active email file.
- Large: sending to 300,000 + unique emails in a month
- Medium: sending to 100,000-299,999 unique emails in a month
- Small: sending to less than 100,000 unique emails in a month
These metrics have excluded donors and donations more than $1,000 – often defined as mid-level – as well as monthly donors and donations.