Nonprofit Leadership Podcast

Episode: Fundraising Trends You Need to Know for 2026
Host: Dr. Rob Harter
Guest: Julia Campbell, Host of Nonprofit Nation Podcast
Date: January 19, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Dr. Rob Harter sits down with nonprofit veteran and social impact strategist Julia Campbell to unravel the latest fundraising trends set to shape the nonprofit sector in coming years. Drawing on her consulting work, conference experience, and extensive data, Julia provides actionable insights on donor engagement, recurring gifts, storytelling, use of technology, and adapting to a changing donor landscape. The conversation balances big-picture trends with practical advice, and challenges prevailing attitudes around donor fatigue and communication.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Data-Driven Fundraising Trends

Julia underscores the importance of recurring giving programs and proactive donor communication, backed by research from GivingTuesday Data Commons.

• Recurring Giving Is Underutilized
  • Many nonprofits fail to implement intentional recurring giving programs, despite consumer trends toward subscription-based models (05:45).
  • “Everything is subscription model and everything is subscription based...We need to be doing more of a push to be putting people in our recurring giving programs.” — Julia Campbell (05:45)
• Nonprofits Not Asking Enough
  • Organizations shy away from soliciting donations, often due to concern over inflation or a sense of ‘impostor syndrome’.
  • Retail brands are far more assertive; nonprofits should adopt a more confident approach: “...the sector as a whole tends to shy away from asking, but the consumer sector does not.” — Julia Campbell (06:38)
• Leaving Money on the Table
  • GivingTuesday’s research estimates nonprofits could tap into $52 billion more if they fully leveraged giving trends and donor behavior (05:43).

2. Shifting Donor Dynamics

The donor landscape is evolving, with fewer individual donors making smaller gifts and a greater reliance on major donors.

• Decline in Small-Dollar Donor Participation
  • While overall giving is slightly up, it’s primarily driven by major donors; small donations (from $10–$100) are declining (11:00).
  • Nonprofits need to “reframe how we’re communicating about the impact...We need to really reframe it and stop thinking of it as annoying people and start thinking of it as inviting people in...” — Julia Campbell (10:15)
• Communications Should Go Beyond Press Releases
  • Donors “just want to know that there’s a need and they want to know what to do” (11:33).
  • Connect the mission to broader social issues and systemic change—particularly crucial for younger donors who value movement over organizational brand.

3. Donor Retention & The Myth of Donor Fatigue

Julia questions the validity of “donor fatigue,” reframing the issue as a response to manipulative or transactional asks.

• Fatigue Is About Manipulation, Not Giving
  • Donors are “tired of bad communication. They’re tired of commercials and ads and mailings that make them feel bad” (14:22).
  • Treat donors as community members, not transactions or data points: “We’re not treating donors like a community...we’re not trying to build this community of like-minded people...” — Julia Campbell (16:33)
• Effective Retention Is About Feedback & Recognition
  • Nonprofits should regularly thank, update, and ask for donor input. Small-dollar donors need to feel valued beyond a single transaction.

4. Storytelling & Measuring Impact

Impact measurement doesn’t always have to be about massive numbers; powerful stories resonate deeply with donors.

• Stories Over Stats
  • Julia shares examples from Plummer Youth Promise and Amirah—small organizations excelling at high-impact, personal storytelling (19:18).
  • “This one particular story and life changed is...so impactful and so wonderful.” — Julia Campbell (19:57)
• Contextualizing Data
  • While data is important (especially for grants), frame it around compelling narratives for individual donors (23:41).

5. Engaging the Next Generation: Gen Z & Millennials

Younger donors seek authenticity, systemic change, and want to engage with causes—preferably through digital channels.

• Social Media as a Discovery Tool
  • Feeds are highly personalized; organizations should focus on what their unique audience wants to learn (25:01).
• Recruit Digital Natives
  • Encourage Gen Z/Millennial staff or volunteers to lead social media to align naturally with platform trends and audience expectations (27:11).

6. Corporate & DAF Giving Trends

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) and corporate partnerships are evolving beyond simple logo-placement sponsorships.

• Making Giving Easier and More Meaningful
  • “Just looking at [DAFs] as this is just another way for people to give. It’s joyous, it’s happy...” — Julia Campbell (27:11)
• Corporate Donors Want Deeper Connection
  • Integrate corporate partners into programming, feature them in impact stories, and treat them as genuine partners rather than transactional sponsors (28:00).

7. Technology and Fundraising Innovation

Technology—especially AI and new communication tools—can streamline processes, personalize donor experiences, and save staff time for more relational tasks.

• Utilizing AI & Automation Thoughtfully
  • Use AI for content repurposing (e.g., summarizing reports, drafting posts), segmentation, and brainstorming—not for replacing human connection (31:01).
  • “We need to be leveraging these tools to save time, to increase the time so that we can make the phone calls and make the donor visits and write the real letters...” — Julia Campbell (33:01)
• Embrace Direct Communication Channels
  • Nonprofits can and should experiment with direct Facebook messages and SMS to reach donors, especially around events like Giving Tuesday (34:47).
  • “I really liked it...It was friendly. It was where I was, which was in my Facebook messenger...I looked at it as an invitation to give, and I just looked at it as like a reminder.” — Julia Campbell (35:04)
• Many Touchpoints Are Key
  • Don’t rely solely on one method (email/direct mail); reach out through channels where donors are already active.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "If you look at consumer behavior, because donors are consumers, then we need to be doing more of a push to be putting people in our recurring giving programs."
  — Julia Campbell (05:53)

• "I don't believe in donor fatigue. I believe that donors are fatigued from being manipulated."
  — Julia Campbell (14:22)

• "We’re not treating donors like a community...we’re not trying to build this community of like-minded people and get everyone to feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves."
  — Julia Campbell (16:33)

• "Plummer Youth Promise...place children in foster care in their forever homes...Their storytelling is next level...the impact is very personal and very small...but this one particular story and life changed is so impactful and so wonderful."
  — Julia Campbell (19:18)

• "Nonprofits are struggling with the new age of social media...Social media now is a discovery tool and it's very customized."
  — Julia Campbell (25:01)

• "We need to be leveraging these tools [AI] to save time...so that we can make the phone calls and make the donor visits and write the real letters and the thank-you letters and do the personalization that we need to do."
  — Julia Campbell (33:01)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Trends in Fundraising, Recurring Giving: 04:59–07:38
• Leaving Money on the Table/GivingTuesday Data: 05:43
• Shyness in Fundraising & Need for Reframing: 08:12–10:15
• Decline of Small-Dollar Donors: 11:00–11:33
• Myth of Donor Fatigue & Manipulation: 14:22–16:33
• Transaction vs. Relationship in Donor Communication: 17:12–17:39
• Storytelling/Impact (Plummer Youth Promise, Amirah): 18:26–20:05
• Gen Z/Millennial Social Media Preferences: 25:01–27:11
• Donor-Advised Funds & Corporate Giving: 27:11–29:49
• AI & Personalization for Fundraising: 31:01–34:16
• Innovative Direct Communication (DMs, SMS): 34:47–36:21

Takeaways for Nonprofit Leaders

• Prioritize and market recurring giving—match modern consumer behaviors.
• Invite, don’t just ask: Share your mission, invite donors to be partners.
• Value small-dollar donors—communicate impact, personalize your approach, tell stories.
• Treat donors and corporate partners as valued community members, not transactions.
• Use AI and emerging tech to enhance, not replace, authentic donor relationships.
• Target communications across multiple channels and integrate feedback loops.
• Engage Gen Z/Millennials by meeting them where they are and embedding their voices in your outreach.
• Storytelling that focuses on a single life changed can be more powerful than sprawling data.

For more, connect with Julia Campbell on LinkedIn or visit her website: jcsocialmarketing.com.

This summary was generated for nonprofit professionals seeking actionable insights and current best practices for fundraising and donor engagement as we look ahead to 2026 and beyond.