Annual report analyzing 771 mid-sized and large US nonprofits finds gift frequency and gift size both climbing as the sector’s growth shifts from acquisition to deeper donor relationships.

PHOENIX, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Virtuous, the responsive fundraising platform for nonprofits, today released its 2026 Nonprofit Fundraising Benchmark Report. The annual report analyzes giving data from 771 mid-sized and large US-based nonprofits, up from 571 the prior year, and points to a clear shift in how the nonprofit sector is growing: not by acquiring more donors, but by building deeper relationships with the ones they have.

The report tracks seven key fundraising metrics across multiple nonprofit verticals, including human services, faith, healthcare, and education, with benchmarks segmented by revenue band.

Key Findings:

• Donor lifetime value grew nearly 18%, the strongest signal in the report.
• Retention held steady at 54.73%, despite a drop in first-to-second gift conversion.
• Median gift increased approximately 20%, reflecting growth across the broad middle of the donor base.
• Recurring giving accounts for nearly 21% of total revenue sector-wide.
• Top-quartile organizations retain nearly 7 out of 10 donors.
• Gift frequency, a new metric this year, averaged 4.15 gifts per donor per year, with top performers averaging 6.62.
• Three out of four first-time donors never make a second gift, with conversion at 25.84%.

“The data is pretty clear on where giving is headed,” said Gabe Cooper, CEO of Virtuous. “Fewer new donors are making it past that first gift. But the donors who do stick around are giving more, giving more consistently, and are more engaged than we’ve seen in years.”

Cooper added, “The organizations winning right now aren’t trying to grow by adding more names to a list. They’re going deeper with the donors they have. Actually listening, building real relationships, staying personal. Not more transactions. More trust.”

The report introduces gift frequency as a new metric and includes updated methodology for several existing benchmarks, including gross donor retention, first-to-second gift conversion, donor expansion, recurring giving, portfolio balance, and donor lifetime value, designed to provide even more precise year-over-year comparisons as the dataset has grown.

Each metric includes benchmarks, breakdowns by revenue band and vertical, connections to other metrics, and recommended next steps. A companion health check tool is also available for organizations to benchmark their own performance against the data.

The full report is available for free download here: https://hubs.ly/Q04cpD4X0

About Virtuous

Virtuous is an AI-powered, responsive fundraising platform built on a simple belief: nonprofits deserve technology that creates the same quality of personal connection their donors expect from today’s leading brands.

Their integrated suite brings CRM, automation, online giving, AI-powered outreach, predictive intelligence, and analytics into one system designed to grow giving with donor relationships at the center. Thousands of nonprofit professionals use Virtuous to save time, deepen donor relationships, and build future-ready fundraising teams. Virtuous has made the Inc. 5000 list three years running, was named a Leader in the G2 Nonprofit CRM grid, and earned a spot on Inc. Magazine’s 2025 Best Places to Work.

Learn more at Virtuous.org.

Media Contact:

Scott Holthaus
scott.holthaus@virtuous.org
Director of Brand + Content | Virtuous

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SOURCE Virtuous