In a startling snapshot of American generosity, a new AP-NORC poll reveals that roughly 50% of U.S. adults say they have already made their charitable contributions for 2025.
The Poll’s Core Findings
The survey, conducted in early December, shows that 18% of respondents have donated and plan to give again before the year ends, while only 6% report they have not yet given but will do so by December’s close. The remaining 30% have neither donated nor intend to.
December: The Final Deadline
Despite the surge of fundraising appeals that nonprofits launch in the last month of the calendar, many Americans are already wrapped up in other priorities. President Donald Trump’s social services grant cuts, severe foreign aid rollbacks, and a November freeze on SNAP benefits, coupled with the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, have created a crowded field of urgent causes.
Bank of America’s Philanthropic Solutions managing director Dianne Chipps Bailey notes that “December 31 does provide a target to make sure that they’ve given what they intended to give before the year is over.” She cites estimates from the National Philanthropic Trust that nearly one-third of annual giving occurs in the final month.
GivingTuesday vs. Black Friday
While GivingTuesday-first celebrated in 2012-has become a high-profile day for philanthropy, the poll finds that Americans are more inclined to shop on Black Friday than to donate on GivingTuesday. Just under half of respondents say they bought something for Black Friday, whereas only about 1 in 10 claim they donated on GivingTuesday.
Oakley Graham, a 32-year-old Missouri resident, explained, “Black Friday gets the lion’s share of things,” adding that the couple’s finances have tightened. “We’re dealing with student loan debts now that the Trump administration suspended their repayment plan. Our two young children are always growing out of their clothes. It’s good if there’s anything left for savings.”
Graham still helps neighbors with handiwork and Salvation Army clothing donations, but he admits, “Not that I’m not willing to give here and there. But it seems like it’s pretty tough to find the extra funds.”
Checkout Giving Gains Momentum
A different strategy is proving popular: donating small amounts at the point of sale. The poll reports that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults gave to a charity when checking out at a store this year.
Graham is one of those who rounds up at the cash register. He said he is “always susceptible to giving for conservation” and likely rounded up once or twice at Bass Pro Shops for that reason. “With the finances, I don’t do a lot of buying these days. But a couple cents here or there is like – I can do that,” he said. “It doesn’t sound like much. But I know if everybody did it would make a difference.”
Older adults-those over 60-are even more likely to donate at store checkouts, according to the poll.
Individual Giving Stories
About one-quarter of Americans plan to donate in the last weeks of the year. Chuck Dietrick, a 69-year-old architect from Dallas-Fort Worth, follows what he calls a “shotgun approach” as the year ends.
He and his wife give monthly to Valley Hope, an addiction services provider where their son did inpatient rehab, and they support roughly eight other organizations with end-of-the-year gifts. “We’re doing our own thing,” he said. “I don’t do Black Friday or Cyber Monday, either … So, I don’t do the GivingTuesday thing.”
Dietrick estimates their household donated somewhere between $501 and $2,500. The couple mostly contributes to organizations that have touched their lives or those of their friends, including a Florida hospice that “did a super job” caring for his mother, Disabled American Veterans, and the Wounded Warrior Project. “I would rather give a smaller amount of money to a variety of institutions that I care about rather than giving a big chunk of money to one,” he explained.
Federal Cuts and Donor Response
Most 2025 donors say the amount they gave wasn’t affected much by this year’s federal funding cuts or the government shutdown, though about 3 in 10 report those situations did impact the charities they chose to support.
The survey suggests that, while private donors mobilized millions to fill funding gaps and hunger relief groups saw donation totals spike last month, many Americans did not respond with their pocketbooks to the nonprofit sector’s newfound pressures.
Jeannine Disviscour, a 63-year-old Baltimore teacher, is among 2025 donors who say the cuts prompted them to give more. “I did not donate on GivingTuesday,” she said. “But I did donate that week because I was feeling the need to support organizations that I felt might not continue to get the support they needed to get to be successful.”
She estimates her household gave between $501 and $2,500, including support for National Public Radio. Congress eliminated $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting this summer, leaving hundreds of NPR stations with a budget hole. She wanted to ensure journalism reached news deserts where residents have few media options.
Living in an area that is home to many refugees, Disviscour also donated her time and money to the Asylee Women Enterprise. The nonprofit helps asylum-seekers and other forced migrants find food, shelter, clothing, transportation, and language classes. “There is a gap in funding and there’s more need than ever,” she said. “And I wanted to step up. And it’s in my community.”
Key Takeaways
- About half of U.S. adults have already donated for 2025, with only 18% planning to give again before year-end.
- Black Friday purchases outpace GivingTuesday donations, with just 1 in 10 giving on the latter.
- Checkout giving is growing, especially among older adults, with 4 in 10 giving at store registers.
The poll paints a mixed picture: while many Americans have already met their charitable goals, a sizable portion remains unengaged, and federal funding cuts have prompted some donors to step up, but not all.
Closing
As the year draws to a close, the AP-NORC poll reminds nonprofits that the December deadline remains a critical window. Whether through large gifts, small checkout donations, or targeted year-end giving, the willingness to give varies widely, reflecting the complex economic and political landscape facing American donors today.
