New survey: Americans believe charitable giving is a civic duty, especially during times of uncertainty

70% of Americans have donated to charity in the past 6 months, and 87% of them say they will donate the same amount or more over the next 6 months

Malvern, Pa. – An online survey conducted by The Harris Poll of more than 2,000 U.S. adults on behalf of Vanguard Charitable, a leading nonprofit and sponsor of donor-advised funds (DAFs), found that American donors are deeply committed to charitable giving, even during uncertain times.

Some 70% of Americans donated to charity in the past 6 months (referenced as donors throughout), and 87% of them say they will donate the same amount or more in the next 6 months, despite ongoing economic uncertainty. In fact, more than 1 in 3 donors who plan to maintain or increase the amount they donate to charity over the next 6 months (36%) are doing so because they believe it is their civic duty to support causes that matter most to them during market fluctuations.

This sense of personal responsibility is particularly strong among donor-advised fund holders. According to the survey, donors who have a DAF are significantly more likely to have donated in the past 6 months than donors who do not have a DAF (94% vs. 68%). DAF donors also granted two-and-a-half times more, on average, than non-DAF donors ($1,586 vs. $615) and are significantly more likely than them to say they will increase the amount they donate over the next 6 months (65% vs. 35%).

Vanguard Charitable donors have mirrored this level of commitment and generosity, as dollars granted from January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025, increased 30% from the year prior, reinforcing the role of donor-advised funds as a reliable funding stream during uncertain times.

“Americans continue to view charitable giving as a vital part of civic life, especially when communities are facing pressing challenges,” said Elaine Kenig, chief communications officer at Vanguard Charitable. “The research reinforces what we see among our donors every day–how a donor-advised fund is the ultimate tax-effective planning and charitable giving tool that enables donors to support both emerging and ongoing needs with dollars already earmarked for charity. We are especially encouraged to see that donors nationwide understand the value of certain giving strategies, like recurring giving, which provides nonprofits with critical, consistent funding to fulfill their respective missions year-round.

Recurring giving, long-term impact and donor legacy

In line with the findings from our 2025 report, Why Giving Matters: Recurring giving with donor-advised funds results in more reliable funding for nonprofits, which explores how recurring giving (when a donor gives at least three times to one nonprofit within a 12-month period) supports nonprofit sustainability and strengthens donor engagement over time, the survey found that donors are becoming increasingly deliberate. Americans see recurring giving to nonprofits as both meaningful and impactful. Nearly 3 in 5 Americans (58%) believe nonprofits prefer recurring donors over one-time givers. Among DAF donors, that number is even higher at 67%.

“We value recurring donors’ ongoing commitments because they not only support operational needs but also foster a deeper connection between our organization and those who believe in our mission,” said LeTeisha Gordon, founder and program director of A Better Day Than Yesterday Initiative Program, a recurring grant recipient of Vanguard Charitable based in Richmond, VA.

Nearly 7 in 10 DAF donors (69%) believe recurring donors give to build or maintain a lasting personal or generational legacy. Additionally, 69% of DAF donors believe that donations from individuals play a vital role in helping nonprofits fulfill their missions; a belief that underscores the importance of ongoing, consistent support.

For more information about Vanguard Charitable or giving through DAFs, please visit www.vanguardcharitable.org.

Survey Method 

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Vanguard Charitable from June 17-19, 2025, among 2,100 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,443 have donated money to charity in the past 6 months (i.e., donors), of which 141 have a DAF. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/-2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Katie Miller at KMiller@gobraithwaite.com.

About Vanguard Charitable 

Vanguard Charitable is a leading U.S. nonprofit organization that fulfills its mission to increase philanthropic giving by administering a donor-advised fund—a tax-effective way to consolidate, accrue, and grant assets to charity. Since it was founded by Vanguard¹ in 1997 as an independent 501(c)(3) organization, Vanguard Charitable has granted more than $22 billion to charity. More information is available at www.vanguardcharitable.org.

Vanguard Charitable: 

Zee Johnson

888-383-4483
press@vanguardcharitable.org