The number of nonprofit organizations in the US increased from 2024 to 2025, and there are some interesting new positive and negative statistics that illuminate the noteworthy trends in this important sector. Your organization should review these statistics and consider how to take advantage of the opportunities and meet the challenges your nonprofit will encounter in 2025.
The following statistics in this article come from surveys and research compiled by WildApricot, NPSource, Forvis Mazar, The MJ Companies, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Center for Effective Philanthropy, NonProfit Pro, NTEN, ThoughtLab, Abnormal Security, Infosecurity Magazine, M & R Benchmarks Report, Nonprofit Tech for Good, JHCCSS, and NXUnite.
General Nonprofit Statistics
Positive Statistics
-Experts predict charitable donations will increase by 4% in 2025.
-The economic growth for American households is projected to increase by 3.4% this year, which will increase individual donations. Individual donations make up 63% of all donations.
-Giving from foundations is expected to increase 5.3% this year with giving from estates projected to increase 5.5%. Corporate donations are projected to increase 2.6%.
-More than 36 million Americans participated in Giving Tuesday and donated $3.6 billion— a 16% increase from last year.
-More than 80% of nonprofit organizations report having a strategic plan in place.
-77% of nonprofits report an increase in demand for their programs and services.
-2/3 of nonprofits have the equivalent of at least six months of operating expenses available for emergencies.
-More than 40% of organizations reported a surplus last year with 25% saying they had a balanced budget.
-Less than 1/3 of leaders reported a budget deficit last year, and only 15% anticipate having a deficit this year along with last year.
Negative Statistics
-75% of nonprofits have eliminated staff and reduced programs and services.
-47% of nonprofits are inadequately funded to implement their programs and services.
-The top three challenges reported by the majority of nonprofits are rising operating expenses, limited staff capacity, and a lack of adequate finances/resources.
Non-Traditional Outreach and Fundraising Statistics
Positive Statistics
-96% of nonprofits utilize online fundraising techniques.
-76% of nonprofits that use hybrid event models meet their fundraising goals.
-More than half of nonprofits report working with a social media influencer to increase their donations.
-41% of Gen Z say they are motivated to support causes that appear on their social media.
-56% of donors state that Facebook is the social media platform that has the most influence on their decision on where to donate.
-52% of nonprofit website traffic comes from mobile devices.
-Mobile donations increased more than 200% from last year with the average pledge being $167.
-90% of text messages are opened within three minutes with 99% of messages being opened overall.
-One study of 15 nonprofits using SMS outreach exclusively found that they received 162,000 donations worth $5.4 million.
-Eligible nonprofits can receive up to $120,000 in Google Ad credits for free.
-96% of nonprofits have Facebook pages, 73% use Instagram, and 49% have LinkedIn pages.
Negative Statistics
-Only 37% of nonprofits have dedicated SEO strategies.
-Only 68% of nonprofits implement email marketing campaigns.
-Nonprofits average a website bounce rate of 60-70%, with a good bounce rate being 40%.
Human Resources Statistics
Positive Statistics
-The number of nonprofits with staffing shortages has decreased by 15% this year.
–Nonprofits pay higher wages in traditional nonprofit fields, such as education and healthcare, than their for-profit counterparts.
-Nonprofit employees make up the nation’s third largest workforce sector with nearly 13 million employees and a payroll income of $670 billion.
Negative Statistics
-More people turned 65 and retired last year than any year in the nation’s history. This demographics trend will continue to reduce the number of qualified people looking for employment.
-66% of nonprofit organizations report that staffing shortages are negatively impacting the execution of their mission.
-More than 3 out of 4 nonprofit organizations report having difficulty recruiting senior leaders.
-2/3 of nonprofits do not have leadership mentor programs.
-95% of nonprofit leaders report that staff burnout is a concern with more than a third saying they are “very concerned” about it.
-75% of nonprofit leaders say that staff burnout is at least slightly impacting their ability to execute their mission with more than 25% saying it is having a moderate or significant effect.
-75% of nonprofit organizations report they have persistent job vacancies to fill.
Cybersecurity Statistics
Positive Statistics
-84% of nonprofit websites have an SSL.
-68% of nonprofits have a website security plan in place.
Negative Statistics
– Nonprofits and NGOs raise more than $30 billion a year and only 25% actively monitor their networks.
-60% of nonprofits report experiencing a cyberattack in the last two years.
-70% of nonprofit organizations lack a formal cybersecurity policy.
-35% of nonprofit leaders admit their organization is unprepared for cybersecurity challenges.
-Email-based cyberattacks increased by 35% this year with bad actors targeting donor data, financial transactions, and internal communications.
–Phishing attacks targeting nonprofits surged by 50% this year, and malware attacks increased by 30%.
AI Statistics
Positive Statistics
-58% of nonprofits report using AI in their daily operations compared to 44% last year.
-70% of nonprofits think that generative AI will assist them in achieving their sustainable development goals through enhanced productivity, improved information access, and increased awareness to drive policy change. Organizations will also use this technology with grant applications to improve engagement with current and potential donors and better understand donor preferences and behaviors.
-75% of nonprofit leaders think that generative AI will help them in their marketing efforts, but only 25% have “concrete ideas” on how to apply it most effectively to their organization.
-More than a 1/3 of nonprofit marketing professionals are actively involved in wider discussions on how to get better results with AI.
Negative Statistics
-92% of nonprofits say they are unprepared for AI, and 60% express uncertainty and mistrust.
-More than 90% of nonprofit leaders say their organization does not have any official policies addressing the use of AI in their efforts.
-70% of nonprofit professionals are concerned about data privacy and security issues when using AI.
-69% of nonprofit marketers using generative AI have received no formal AI training.
Consult with a Nonprofit IT Expert
After reviewing these revealing statistics, we recommend you work closely with a trusted IT Support partner such as Network Depot, which has been helping nonprofits meet their IT and organizational objectives for more than 30 years. Your dependable IT partner will help you meet the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities represented by the statistics above.
Your experienced IT partner will use its valuable experience working with nonprofits to ensure that your IT is operating at an elite level and that your organization is secure.
With the expert help of a proven IT Support partner, your nonprofit organization will be able to maintain focus on fulfilling your noble mission.