--- title: RKD's 2026 Benchmark Report description: RKD Group's 2026 Mid-Year Benchmark Report reveals record revenue alongside declining donor numbers, insights on fundraising trends, and strategies for sustainable growth. image: https://info.rkdgroup.com/hubfs/Open%20Graph.png --- Theme + Migration = $1489 (Pay for the Theme Only). [Learn More.](https://www.lpd-themes.com/migration) [![logo-rkd](https://info.rkdgroup.com/hubfs/Assets/logo-rkd.svg "logo-rkd")](https://rkdgroup.com/) [![logo-rkd](https://info.rkdgroup.com/hubfs/Assets/logo-rkd.svg "logo-rkd")](https://rkdgroup.com/) [![logo-rkd](https://info.rkdgroup.com/hubfs/Assets/logo-rkd.svg "logo-rkd")](https://rkdgroup.com/) [![logo-rkd](https://info.rkdgroup.com/hubfs/Assets/logo-rkd.svg "logo-rkd")](https://rkdgroup.com/) # 2026 Mid-Year Benchmark Report Contents #### [Introduction](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#Introduction) - [A note from RKD's Marketing Science Team](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#Note) - [Top takeaways](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#Takeaways) - [RKD's recommendations](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#Recommendations) - [About the report](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#About-report) #### [Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#kpis) - [Revenue](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#revenue) - [Donor Growth](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#donor-growth) - [Revenue By Cause](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#by-cause) - [Active Donors](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#donor-counts) - [Revenue Per Donor](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#revenue-per-donor) - [Gift Frequency](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#gift-frequency) - [Average Gift](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#average-gift) - [Monthly Giving](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#monthly-giving) - [Monthly Donors](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#monthly-giving-donors) #### [About RKD Group](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#about-rkd) [Download the PDF](https://info.rkdgroup.com/hubfs/2026%20Benchmarks%20-%20Main%20-%20PDF.pdf)   # A familiar trend: Record revenue, fewer donors Halfway through 2026, the nonprofit sector is posting record numbers and losing ground at the same time. How can both things be true? That gap is the most important story in RKD Group’s Mid-Year Benchmark Report. We measured 219 nonprofit organizations and more than a decade of giving history through June 30, 2026. What we found is a familiar story to those who have been monitoring fundraising trends in recent years. Mid-year revenue reached the highest total we have recorded in 10 years. That’s up 1.6% over 2025 and up a whopping 51.1% over 2017. Revenue per donor ($229), gift frequency (2.30), mid-level revenue (+8.6% over 2025), and monthly giving revenue (+4.2% over 2025) all set 10-year highs as well. If we were to stop right there, 2026 is already looking like a winning year. But beneath the surface, there are major concerns, starting with the continued shrinking of donor files. Active donors fell 2.0% year over year, down 19.5% from the 2021 pandemic peak, and below where the sector stood 10 years ago in 2017. Total gifts also fell 1.3%. Every dollar of growth in 2026 has come from getting more out of fewer people, not from reaching more of them. Inflation sharpens the point even more. Adjusted to today’s dollars, total revenue is actually down 3.0% vs. 2021. Revenue from gifts under $10,000 is down 16.9%, and the average gift is down 13.0% versus 2017. The dollars hit a record. What they can buy didn’t. *—Lori Collins, Executive Vice President, Marketing Science, RKD Group* ## A note from RKD’s Marketing Science Team   --- ## Top 4 takeaways:   1 Record revenue (sort of) and fewer donors. Revenue hit a 10-year high while active donors fell to the lowest level since 2019 and below 2017 levels. In today's dollars, total revenue is actually down 3.0% versus 2021 and the average gift is down 13.0% versus 2017. The nonprofit sector is monetizing a shrinking file. 2 Revenue is concentrated in major gifts. Gifts of $10,000 or more now account for 68.3% of all revenue, up from 66.8% in 2017. Major gift revenue is up 29.4% since 2021 and up 5.3% even after inflation. That is both a genuine strength and a single point of failure. A handful of relationships now determine whether the year is made. 3 Mid-level is the fastest-growing gift-size band. Mid-level revenue ($1,000-$10,000) reached a 10-year high, up 8.6% year over year and up 84.0% since 2017. This 7.0% compound annual growth rate is faster than total revenue, major gifts or general gifts. It is the only band that has grown for four straight years. 4 Monthly giving is a durable long-term asset. Monthly giving revenue hit a 10-year high (up 68% after inflation), and now represents 19.4% of all revenue under $10,000, up from 12.2% in 2017. We saw some minor softening overall on monthly donor quantities (down 1.5%), which may be related to rising inflation in the period. --- Based on this benchmark data, RKD’s strategy and data science experts developed three recommendations for a strong finish to 2026:    1\.   Put your best resources into mid-level.  Mid-level giving is the highest-yield lever available in the next four months. Build a September-December moves list of every $1,000-$10,000 donor, plus your upgrade candidates (as identified by predictive models). Give them a named human, a personal ask amount based on their giving history, and a reason specific to them. 2\. Treat the year-end major gift plan as the revenue plan. With 68.3% of revenue coming from gifts of $10,000 or more, your year is decided by a comparatively small number of conversations. Lock in your 90-day portfolio plan now: who gets an in-person or video ask, who gets a stewardship touch first, what the specific amount is, and what the Dec. 31 close plan looks like. Make sure you include a deliberate donor-advised fund and stock gift push. The window is closing fast.    3\.   Rebuild the pipeline you will need in January.  Three moves that protect 2027 while still producing revenue this year. First, make a monthly ask the default (or co-primary) option in year-end digital. Run an upgrade ask to existing sustainers, and stand up a payment-failure save program—the cheapest retention win in the file. Second, run a reactivation blitz on 12-24-month lapsed donors; they convert on a shorter cycle than net-new donors. Third, do not cut the acquisition and general-gift budget to make an in-year net number. General gifts have fallen to their lowest share of revenue in 10 years, and they are the source of tomorrow's mid-level and major donors. **Looking ahead to 2030**:    1\.   Make donor file growth a board-level commitment.  Set explicit targets for active donors, new donors and new-plus-reactivated share of file. Report them alongside revenue, in both nominal and inflation-adjusted terms. Then, change how you fund them. Model lifetime value by acquisition source and invest against it, rather than optimizing cost per dollar raised in-year.   2\. Institutionalize mid-level and monthly giving. A 7.0% mid-level growth rate and a 9.7% monthly giving growth rate over 10 years are structural opportunities that most organizations still run as side projects. Fund dedicated mid-level staffing, develop a set touch cadence, and build a promotion path from monthly and general giving up into mid-level and on into major gifts. Make monthly giving the default acquisition offer with its own budget and cost-per-acquisition tolerance, backed by real retention discipline. Target 25-30% of sub-$10,000 revenue from monthly giving by 2030.    3\.   De-risk the top of the file and plan in real dollars.  Major giving revenue is a strength today and a vulnerability in any year with a market correction or the loss of two or three principal donors. Diversify with a formalized donor-advised fund (DAF) strategy, and keep the mid-to-major pipeline full so replacements are already in the house. At the same time, index revenue goals, ask arrays, upgrade ladders and program budgets to inflation, and refresh them on a schedule. Inflation has quietly taken 3.0% off total revenue and 16.9% off sub-$10,000 revenue since 2021. --- ## About the report   What we measured  The 2026 Mid-Year Benchmark Report contains full-file data from 219 RKD clients across animal welfare, food banks, health, hospitals, humanitarian and rescue mission causes throughout the U.S. and Canada, with data through June 30, 2026. Contributions of $10,000 or more are analyzed separately as noted, to better inform growth from this critical relational segment of supporters.   Comparisons from year to year are by year-to-date data. Inflation calculations used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ [CPI Inflation Calculator](https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm).      ## Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) - [Revenue](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#revenue) - [Active donors](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#Active-donors) - [Revenue per active donor](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#Revenue-per-active-donor) - [Average gift](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#Average-gift) - [Gift frequency](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-benchmarks#Gift-frequency) ### Overall revenue hits a 10-year high Overall revenue reached a 10-year high of $1.86 billion, up 1.6% over 2025, 19.3% over 2021 and 51.1% over 2017. This was driven by 10-year highs in both mid-level and major gift revenue.   But inflation reframes the win. In today's dollars, revenue is down 3.0% versus 2021, even as it remains 10.8% ahead of 2017. General gift revenue reached a five-year high, but barely—still short of 2020 and 2021 pandemic levels, and flat against 2025.  ### Revenue for gifts under $10K up 3.3%     When we exclude major gifts, revenue hit a six-year high of $591.6 million, just below the 2020 peak and up 3.3% over 2025. Adjusted for inflation, though, it is down 16.9% versus 2021 while still 6.0% ahead of 2017.   The sub-$10K file is growing in dollars but shrinking in real value. ### Mid-level is the fastest-growing gift-size band     Mid-level revenue ($1K–$10K) hit a 10-year high of $226.1 million, up 8.6% over 2025 and 84.0% over 2017—the fastest-growing gift-size band in the file. Inflation still takes a bite, but the adjusted mark remains 35.0% ahead of 2017. ### Major gifts hit highest concentration in a decade     Major gifts ($10K+) also reached a 10-year high of $1.27 billion and now account for 68.3% of all revenue, the highest concentration in a decade. Growth was flat year over year (up 0.7%), but the band is up 29.4% over 2021 and holds a 5.3% inflation-adjusted gain. ### Revenue performance varies by cause Performance varied greatly by cause, with sweeping generalizations missing the nuances inherent to each organization type.       Food bank revenue jumped 24.1% to $738.2 million—the strongest first half since 2020—with major gifts hitting an all-time high. Active donors rose 5.8%, helped by supporters acquired during the Q4 2025 government shutdown. Recurring giving set records across the board, and both gift frequency (2.6) and revenue per active donor ($406.50) reached all-time highs. Animal care revenue fell 13.7% from a record 2025, but the everyday-donor program grew. Revenue under $10K rose 6.7%, and mid-level revenue hit an all-time high, up 11.8%. This group also continues to build monthly giving deliberately, pushing gift frequency to an all-time high of 2.2 and revenue per active donor up 7.8% to $205.48. Humanitarian organizations saw active donors slip 3.1% and revenue decline 5.3%. Major gifts account for just 37.2% of revenue, and they lead the benchmark in sustainer dependence with recurring gifts representing 28.9% of revenue under $10K. Mid-level revenue was a bright spot at an all-time high. Rescue missions saw a donor decline of 6.8%, but revenue under $10K held essentially flat (+0.6%) because the donors who stayed gave more. On the positive side, revenue per active donor rose 8.0% to an all-time high of $279.24, average gift reached a record $121.26. Mid-level and recurring revenue also both set all-time highs. Health & hospitals are the most heavily reliant on major gifts with 86.1% of all revenue coming from gifts of $10,000 or more. Revenue declined 10.0% in the first half of 2026 as major gifts pulled back 11.3%. However, revenue per active donor did reach an all-time high of $130.23, and mid-level revenue grew 3.2% to a new record. ## Donor growth ### Active donor counts continue to decline   Active donors fell to 2,585,127. This is the lowest mark since 2019, down 2.0% from 2025, 22.2% from the 2020 pandemic peak and 2.6% below 2017. The pandemic's three-year surge has fully plateaued, leaving donor files essentially flat across the last decade. ### Revenue per active donor reaches $229   Revenue per active donor reached a 10-year high of $229, up 27.2% over 2021 and 48.7% over 2017. This is the rare metric that holds up after inflation, up 3.6% versus 2021 and 9.0% versus 2017.   Donors who stay are worth genuinely more today.  ### Gift frequency hits a 10-year high Gift frequency hit a 10-year high of 2.30 gifts per donor, up 12.7% over 2021 and 25.0% over 2017.   Fewer donors are giving more often. This is evidence that engagement among retained donors is strengthening even as reach declines, largely influenced by the rise of monthly giving. ### Average gift climbs to $99.58 At $99.58, the average gift is the second-highest in 10 years, trailing only 2020. But again, inflation tells the opposite story: down 8.3% versus 2021 and 13.0% versus 2017.   The shift toward monthly giving also pulls the average down while pushing frequency up. ### Monthly giving revenue shows strongest growth Monthly giving revenue reached a 10-year high of $114.9 million, up 29.9% over 2021 and 130.5% over 2017. It also survives inflation: up 1.8% versus 2021 and 67.6% versus 2017. This is the strongest real growth of any metric measured. ### Monthly giving donors dip slightly   Monthly donors slipped 1.5% to 459,483—the first decline since 2018. The number of monthly donors in 2026 is still the second-highest mark in 10 years, up 16.6% over 2021 and 87.8% over 2017. But the year-over-year dip means recent revenue growth is coming from upgrades, not new sustainers. ### See how other causes performed Access Report [Animal Care](https://info.rkdgroup.com/the-2025-animal-care-benchmark-report-access) Access Report [Food Bank](https://info.rkdgroup.com/the-2025-food-bank-benchmark-report-access) Access Report [Missions](https://info.rkdgroup.com/the-2025-rescue-mission-benchmark-report-access) Access Report [Health & Hospitals](https://info.rkdgroup.com/the-2025-health-and-hospitals-benchmark-report-access) Access Report [Humanitarian Action](https://info.rkdgroup.com/the-2025-humanitarian-action-benchmark-report-access) ### About RKD Group Founded in 1970 to serve the needs of nonprofit clients, [RKD Group](https://rkdgroup.com/) is a leading fundraising and marketing firm serving mission-driven organizations across the United States and Canada. The first agency to identify and adapt to the changes in technology and culture that impact philanthropy, RKD helps organizations including Susan G. Komen, The Salvation Army, The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Toys for Tots, Feed the Children, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Food Bank for New York City, and more grow through integrated fundraising strategy, omnichannel marketing, analytics, donor engagement, creative services, and digital transformation. ### See how other sectors performed Access Report [Food Bank](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-food-bank-benchmark) Access Report [Missions](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-missions-benchmark) Access Report [Animal Welfare](https://info.rkdgroup.com/2026-mid-year-animal-welfare-benchmarks) ## Want more? ### Sign up today to receive a full breakdown of data for each cause. ## © RKD Group. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy](https://rkdgroup.com/privacy-policy/)