{"id":33780,"date":"2025-08-21T16:16:28","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T20:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/?post_type=news&p=33780"},"modified":"2025-08-22T13:34:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T17:34:01","slug":"the-state-of-modern-fundraising","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising","title":{"rendered":"The State of Modern Fundraising"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the <\/span>Blackbaud Institute<\/span><\/a>, we\u2019ve been closely watching how fundraisers are navigating today\u2019s evolving landscape\u2014and what we\u2019re seeing is both inspiring and instructive.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, 2025 brings its share of uncertainty. Economic shifts, changing donor demographics, and policy changes are all reshaping the way we work. But here\u2019s the good news: fundraisers are adapting, and as they do so, they are both contributing to and riding the wave of positive macro trends in our space, some of which were reported in the latest Giving USA annual report. Total giving is on the rise, with contributions increasing 3.3% when adjusted for inflation. Generational participation, especially among Millennials and Boomers, continues to drive annual giving, while Gen Z is stepping in with innovative approaches to support.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, among the hundreds of professionals we surveyed in our latest Blackbaud Institute research, <\/span>The Status of Fundraising in the AI Era (2025)<\/span><\/a>, most told us they\u2019re meeting or exceeding their goals. That\u2019s not just resilience\u2014it\u2019s evolution in action.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s Working\u2014and Why<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>We found that\u2014despite reporting significant concerns over the economy and changing policy environments\u201472% of fundraisers hit or surpassed their targets in the past year. That\u2019s a powerful signal that even in a complex environment, success is possible. What sets the most successful and confident organizations apart in our study? Two things stood out, and, encouragingly, both of them are within the reach of any organization that prioritizes them: digital maturity and data health.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We found that organizations that had integrated their tech stacks\u2014one of the key markers of high digital maturity\u2014were more likely to have seen revenue growth. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that integrated tech usually points to integrated teams, working together toward clear goals. And those with strong data practices are better positioned to act on insights, prioritize resources, and engage donors in meaningful ways. It\u2019s not about having more data\u2014it\u2019s about collecting it in the right ways and knowing what to do with it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The study also underscored that individual giving remains the bedrock of nonprofit revenue. Even as donor-advised funds and other vehicles grow, individual contributions still make up the largest share of giving. That means building strong, lasting relationships with individual donors is as important as ever.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AI: A Tool, Not a Trend<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>One of the most talked-about shifts in our sector\u2014as with every sector right now\u2014is the rise of AI. In our research, over 80% of nonprofit professionals said they\u2019re using AI in their daily work. That\u2019s a big leap from just a year ago.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The most common uses reported in our study? Content creation, note-taking, and donor research. But AI is also helping with activities more directly tied to revenue, like segmentation and wealth screening.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The sentiment across the fundraising pros we surveyed is largely positive\u2014most fundraisers believe AI will make their organizations more efficient and help them better connect with supporters, even as they seek to ensure that AI is used responsibly and in ways that builds, not erodes, relational trust.<\/span><\/p>\n

At Blackbaud, we see the massive potential of AI to transform what\u2019s possible for nonprofit organizations while supporting and expanding, but not replacing, the deeply human elements of fundraising. It\u2019s why we\u2019re investing so significantly in expanding our <\/span>Intelligence for Good\u00ae<\/span><\/a> AI strategy to make AI responsible, powerful and convenient for the essential business operations of social impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

And we also already have a good picture of the types of organizations that will be able to harness the potential of AI in the most transformative ways. It\u2019s the same two distinctives that separate the nonprofits adapting in today\u2019s environment and those struggling to: digital maturity and data health.<\/span><\/p>\n

When an organization has a strong foundation of integrated technology and clean, well-managed data, it\u2019s far better positioned to unlock the full potential of AI. These two elements aren\u2019t just operational advantages; they\u2019re prerequisites for using AI in ways that are truly transformative. Without them, AI tools can\u2019t deliver meaningful insights or scale impact effectively. But with them, fundraisers can move from being reactive to being strategic, using AI to deepen donor relationships, streamline workflows, and make smarter decisions faster.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Moment of Possibility
\n<\/span><\/b>What we\u2019re seeing is a sector in motion. Fundraisers are not just reacting to change\u2014they\u2019re leading through it. They\u2019re asking big questions, trying new approaches, and leaning into the tools that help them do more of what matters.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the Blackbaud Institute, we believe this is a moment of possibility. A moment to rethink what\u2019s possible when we combine smart strategy, strong relationships, and the right technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re curious about what\u2019s next\u2014and how your organization can stay ahead\u2014we invite you to explore the full findings in our latest report: <\/span>https:\/\/institute.blackbaud.com\/resources\/status-of-fundraising-2025.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We think you\u2019ll find insights that not only inform your strategy but inspire your next move.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article was originally published on August 18 by Giving USA <\/span><\/i>here<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author Bio
\n<\/span><\/b>\"\"Carrie Cobb is an accomplished innovator and change-agent capable of translating multifaceted data and analytics products into successful business initiatives and consumer experiences. She holds over 25 years of experience in developing data-driven analytic solutions, with the goal of leveraging advanced analytic methodologies and artificial intelligence to create easy to execute strategies for the social impact community.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

As the Chief Data and AI Officer at Blackbaud, Carrie leads the Data Intelligence Center of Excellence, and is responsible for Blackbaud\u2019s AI and data strategy, vertical-focused product innovation, data science and engineering disciplines, and data governance and ethics.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

She chairs the Advisory Council on Methodology for the Giving USA Foundation, serves on the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Nonprofit Alliance, and is a member of the Advisory Council for Fundraising.AI. Carrie has been honored as one of DataIQ\u2019s 100 Most Influential People in Data in both 2024 and 2025, and was named to CDO Magazine\u2019s Global Data Power Women List 2023. She holds a Chief Data Officer Certificate from Carnegie Mellon University.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carrie Cobb of Blackbaud explores key trends, including rising giving, generational shifts, and the transformative role of AI\u2014highlighting how digital maturity and data health are driving success in the nonprofit sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":33785,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"single-news-product-and-innovation.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"news-category":[481,636],"news-topic":[626],"class_list":["post-33780","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-category-announcements","news-category-product-and-innovation","news-topic-ai"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe State of Modern Fundraising - Blackbaud<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Carrie Cobb of Blackbaud explains how fundraisers are thriving in 2025 despite economic and policy challenges.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The State of Modern Fundraising\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Carrie Cobb of Blackbaud explains how fundraisers are thriving in 2025 despite economic and policy challenges.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blackbaud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/blackbaud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-22T17:34:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SoF-US-1160X440_Featured_Resource_Banner.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"436\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@blackbaud\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising\",\"name\":\"The State of Modern Fundraising - Blackbaud\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SoF-US-1160X440_Featured_Resource_Banner.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-21T20:16:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-22T17:34:01+00:00\",\"description\":\"Carrie Cobb of Blackbaud explains how fundraisers are thriving in 2025 despite economic and policy challenges.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SoF-US-1160X440_Featured_Resource_Banner.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SoF-US-1160X440_Featured_Resource_Banner.png\",\"width\":960,\"height\":436},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/all-news\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The State of Modern Fundraising\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/\",\"name\":\"Blackbaud\",\"description\":\"The world's leading cloud software company powering social good.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Blackbaud\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/blackbaud.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/blackbaud.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"Blackbaud\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/blackbaud\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/blackbaud\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/blackbaud\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/blackbaudinc\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/blackbaud\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The State of Modern Fundraising - Blackbaud","description":"Carrie Cobb of Blackbaud explains how fundraisers are thriving in 2025 despite economic and policy challenges.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The State of Modern Fundraising","og_description":"Carrie Cobb of Blackbaud explains how fundraisers are thriving in 2025 despite economic and policy challenges.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising","og_site_name":"Blackbaud","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/blackbaud","article_modified_time":"2025-08-22T17:34:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":436,"url":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SoF-US-1160X440_Featured_Resource_Banner.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@blackbaud","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising","url":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising","name":"The State of Modern Fundraising - Blackbaud","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SoF-US-1160X440_Featured_Resource_Banner.png","datePublished":"2025-08-21T20:16:28+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-22T17:34:01+00:00","description":"Carrie Cobb of Blackbaud explains how fundraisers are thriving in 2025 despite economic and policy challenges.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SoF-US-1160X440_Featured_Resource_Banner.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SoF-US-1160X440_Featured_Resource_Banner.png","width":960,"height":436},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/article\/the-state-of-modern-fundraising#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/newsroom\/all-news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The State of Modern Fundraising"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/","name":"Blackbaud","description":"The world's leading cloud software company powering social good.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#organization","name":"Blackbaud","url":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/blackbaud.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/blackbaud.webp","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Blackbaud"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/blackbaud","https:\/\/x.com\/blackbaud","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/blackbaud","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/blackbaudinc","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/blackbaud"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/33780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33780"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/33780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33788,"href":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/33780\/revisions\/33788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-category?post=33780"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blackbaud.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=33780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}