Wealth is shifting quickly

The donor of the future will very likely have benefited from the “Great Wealth Transfer” that is currently underway. $84 trillion is projected to move from Baby Boomers to their millennial and Gen X heirs by 2045, $12 trillion of which is expected to go towards philanthropy.

Monthly giving on the rise

Monthly giving is steadily rising. According to M+R research, in 2024, recurring giving accounted for 31% of all online giving, up from 28% just two years prior. Recurring donors are not just more consistent; they’re more generous, too. In an average year, monthly donors give roughly 150% more in total compared to donors who just give annually.

Especially as digital giving continues to rise, monthly giving will become the financial backbone of many fundraising programs.

Giving circles will move from niche to norm

Giving circles–where donors pool together resources and give as a collective–entered the mainstream a decade or so ago. In 2016, there were about 1,600 giving circles responsible for $1.3 billion in philanthropy; by 2023, those numbers have risen to 4,000+ groups (accounting for 370,000+ individuals) responsible for over $3 billion in philanthropy.

Today, giving circles are still a small fraction of overall philanthropy, but their rapid growth in the past decade is notable and likely to continue.

Women will shape the future of giving

By 2030, U.S. women are projected to hold ~38% of financial wealth, up from 34% in 2023 and 31% in 2018. That shift matters because women already influence most household giving decisions, and research shows they give more consistently than men, especially in downturns. During the pandemic, for example, female donors were more likely to maintain or increase their giving while overall participation declined.

A Profile in Practice

It’s 2035. Picture a mid-career 52-year-old Gen Xer who inherited a modest amount of wealth from her parents. She keeps six figures in a Fidelity Charitable DAF, gives $500 monthly online through a saved wallet to her preferred causes, and co-funds projects with her peers through a giving circle. She expects and appreciates interactive content informing her about the impact of her giving, and doubles down on the organizations that personalize all of their outreach to her. This is the donor of the future: asset-heavy, digitally native, network-driven, and expecting proof.