Who Knew?
  December 24, 2025
  Summary

Most Americans aren’t making end-of-year charitable giving plans, according to the results of a new AP-NORC poll, despite the many fundraising appeals made by nonprofits that rely on donation surges in the calendar’s final month to reach budget targets.

 

The survey, which was conducted in early December by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found that about half of U.S. adults say they’ve already made their charitable contributions for 2025. Just 18% say they’ve donated and will donate again before the year is over. Only 6% report they haven’t given yet but will do so by December’s end. The rest, 30%, haven’t donated and don’t plan to.

Everyday donors faced competing priorities this year. President Donald Trump’s social services grant cutssevere foreign aid rollbacks and November SNAP benefits freeze — plus natural disasters like Los Angeles’ historically destructive wildfires — left no shortage of urgent causes in need of heightened support. But weaker income gains and steep price inflation meant lower-income households had less money to redistribute. Other surveys have also found a yearslong decline in the number of individuals who give.

 

Trump’s tax and spending legislation offered an extra incentive to give more starting in January; most filers will see new charitable deductions next tax year of up to $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for married couples. Some itemizers may make more gifts this year, though, ahead of a new floor for donation write-offs that takes effect in 2026.

 

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