April 23, 2026

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Nonprofit Donor Solicitation: How Caution May Be Costing You Donations

by Amanda L. Cole

Nonprofits tend to worry about over-soliciting donors, pulling back on outreach amid concerns about donor fatigue, economic uncertainty, and crowded inboxes.

But new data suggests that caution may be going too far.

In trying not to over-ask, nonprofits may be under-asking — and leaving significant support on the table. Previous GivingTuesday research has estimated that increasing outreach could unlock between $19 billion and $46 billion in untapped annual charitable giving potential.

GivingTuesday’s latest “GivingPulse: Year in Review 2025” report points to a growing imbalance in how Americans engage with nonprofits. About 65% of respondents said they gave in some form in 2025, whether through monetary donations, volunteering, or giving goods. Yet half said they don’t recall being asked to give.

The issue may not be willingness to give after all — it may be a lack of outreach.

“What the 2025 data makes clear is that awareness is the engine of generosity,” Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday, said in the report. “Whether people heard about a local crisis, someone in their community doing good work, or were simply invited to make a difference, they responded. We need to make sure that those signals keep reaching people, especially as the media landscape shifts.”

When Caution Becomes a Constraint

The share of Americans who report being asked to give has remained largely unchanged, hovering between 45% and 55% over the past year, rising in November and peaking the week of GivingTuesday.

But what’s troubling is the remaining half of respondents who said they don’t remember being asked at all.

That gap may reflect a sector that has grown more cautious in how — and how often — it reaches out to supporters. Concerns about over-solicitation have led many organizations to refine targeting, reduce frequency, or narrow their appeals. But that more restrained approach may be limiting reach.

For many organizations, that shift has been intentional — an effort to protect donor relationships and avoid fatigue. But the findings suggest that what feels like a prudent strategy may be constraining engagement more than preserving it.

Among those who do recall being asked, the response is strong: 87% said they gave money, a 6-percentage-point increase from 2024.

Why Visibility — Not Perfection — Drives Giving

The report also challenges another long-standing assumption that negative news about nonprofits discourages giving.

Instead, GivingPulse found that exposure to negative nonprofit news was associated with high levels of giving — about 80% who heard negative charity news gave. Though the survey stopped short of establishing causation, other engagement-related survey questions offered a possible explanation.

“Respondents who recalled nonprofit news stories also scored higher on measures of community involvement and social awareness, suggesting that attention to the nonprofit sector is itself a signal of broader civic engagement,” researchers wrote.

More broadly, the data reinforces a key pattern in donor behavior: Giving is often moment-based. Participation tends to follow moments of exposure — whether through a direct ask, a news story, or a personal connection.

For nonprofits, that dynamic raises the stakes around visibility. Efforts to tightly control messaging or avoid risk may limit the very moments that prompt people to engage.

In other words, awareness — even when imperfect — can be a catalyst for action.

The data suggests nonprofits are not facing a shortage of generosity, but a shortage of consistent, visible outreach. Organizations that break through may be those that simply ask more often.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

United Way of Greater Cincinnati is pleased to announce George Vincent as chair of the organization’s Board of Directors. Vincent, a longtime United Way supporter, brings decades of leadership experience to

the role.

Bonita Campbell, Lighthouse Youth & Family Services VP/Chief Operating Officer, has been unanimously elected to the National Network for Youth (NN4Y) Board of Directors.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Contemporary Arts Center wraps up its 2025–2026 season with two solo shows by local artists Gee Horton and Michael Stillion. Curated by Adjunct Curator Maria Seda-Reeder, the exhibitions open to the public with a free opening reception at CAC, 44 E. Sixth St., on Friday, April 24, 7:00pm to 9:00pm, with exclusive gallery access and a cash bar for the debut of these powerful new bodies of work.

The Boone County Public Library (BCPL) Foundation has received a generous gift from Republic Bank & Trust Company to support the installation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant public-access computer workstations at the Florence Branch. This funding will help expand access to essential technology for low- to moderate-income residents, seniors and individuals with disabilities.

The Victorian at Riverside is grateful to receive a $10,000 grant to provide meals for older adults with dementia in assisted living. This project was financially assisted by H.B., E.W. & F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, N.A., Trustee.

Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired is deeply grateful to Lions Club of Oxford for a $3,000 grant to provide adaptive services and equipment for residents of Butler County who have severe vision loss.

Women Helping Women will host a community event, “Inside the New Front Door for Survivors,” offering a first look at its newly designed hotline and response space on Thursday, April 23, 5:00 pm. This transformation represents a major investment in survivor care, strengthening the infrastructure behind the largest survivor hotline in the state of Ohio, which fields more than 20,000 calls annually.

Aviatra Accelerators has announced the opening of a retail marketplace at Aviatra's existing space in Covington. The new retail incubator, dubbed Muse Boutiques, is designed to better support the next generation of women retail entrepreneurs. Spotlighting emerging women-owned retail brands operating within a shared space at below-market rent, the model provides a lower-risk opportunity to test products and retail concepts over a 9-month period.

Santa Maria Community Services is pleased to announce its receipt of generous grants supporting its programs and services during the first quarter of 2026. Santa Maria was awarded grants by Ruth J. and Robert A. Conway Foundation ($25,000), SC Ministry Foundation, Scripps Howard Fund ($35,000), and Union Savings Bank ($3,000).

Summerfair Cincinnati marks its 59th year, returning to Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., May 29-30, with more than 340 juried artists. The artists represent 12 categories: photography, painting, drawing/printmaking, wood, metal, sculpture, glass, ceramics, fibers, leather, jewelry and 2D/3D mixed media.

A new food pantry is opening up in Forest Park next month, serving a community that saw a longtime pantry recently close. Quinn Chapel A.M.E. and Christ Church Glendale are partnering to run the Heaven’s Table Food Pantry, opening for the first time on Wednesday, May 6 — ensuring no one has to face hunger alone. Residents from Forest Park and other nearby communities are welcome to visit Heaven’s Table to get fresh, healthy food for their household. The pantry will be open on the first and third Wednesday of every month at Quinn Chapel.

ArtsWave, MeetNKY and the Northern Kentucky Port Authority announced that Susan Byrnes will be the first Artist-in-Residence at the OneNKY Center Gallery Fueled by ArtsWave. The Artist-in-Residence program builds on a formal collaboration between the organizations to expand creative placemaking efforts across Northern Kentucky.

Throughout the month of March, the Jeff Ruby Foundation recognized Women's History Month by partnering with local organizations making a meaningful impact in the communities they serve. The Jeff Ruby team learned more about each organization's mission to help bring greater awareness to the critical work they are doing. This year's International Women's Day theme was "Give to Gain," which is rooted in the belief that generosity creates a lasting impact.

FUNDING AND RESOURCE OPPORTUNITIES

ArtsWave and MeetNKY have opened applications for the 2026 Northern Kentucky Creative Placemaking Grant, a program supporting arts and cultural heritage projects that activate public spaces, strengthen neighborhoods and contribute to Northern Kentucky’s cultural identity and visitor appeal. The competitive grant program provides up to $10,000 per project, or up to 50% of total project expenses, to nonprofit organizations proposing arts-driven initiatives that contribute to community development across Northern Kentucky. Funded projects will take place between June 1, 2026, and May 31, 2027. Find full grant guidelines and apply here.

OneSource Center created the Emerging Leader Award to recognize talented nonprofit professionals who demonstrate exceptional promise and a commitment to strengthening the nonprofit sector. The Award provides a full scholarship for the selected honoree to participate in the EXCEL Executive Leadership Program, including one year of executive coaching. Find more information and nomination form here.

A Spring 2026 class at NKU will look at occupational therapy intervention and program planning for group and activity development. We are looking for community partners to help us teach our students. We would like to invite applications from nonprofits (or programs within nonprofits) that are focused on supporting psychosocial support and group opportunities towards building a stronger community. One agency will be selected by the students to receive a $2,000 grant to support the implementation of an occupational therapy-psychosocial health and wellness site objectives. Find more information here or contact Angela Boyd at boyda9@nku.edu.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Interact for Health is offering a free, hands-on workshop—AI Simplified for Nonprofits—at the Grant County Library, May 6, 1:00pm-3:00pm. This session is a great opportunity to gain practical experience using AI tools to support your work and mission. While the workshop is designed with nonprofits in mind, all community members are welcome to attend. We’d love to see a wide mix of participants. Find additional information and register here.

ChatGPT for Admins, April 24, 1:00pm EDT. This practical, productivity-focused webinar is designed to help administrative professionals work smarter, faster, and more strategically using today's most powerful AI tools. Participants will learn how to leverage ChatGPT's newest capabilities including advanced data analysis, file uploads, image and document generation, custom GPT creation, Projects for organizing work, voice interaction, memory features for workflow continuity, and Deep Research for comprehensive reporting - to streamline daily responsibilities and elevate their professional impact. Register here.

OSHA Reporting: What are OSHA’s Reporting Requirements? April 24, 1:00pm EDT. This 1-hour course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of OSHA's reporting requirements for workplace injuries and illnesses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that all employers, regardless of size or industry, maintain accurate records of workplace injuries and illnesses. Register here.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Whitewater Christian Church Blood Drive, May 11, 11:00am-5:00pm. The Hoxworth Mobile Donation Bus in pulling into the Whitewater Parking Lot to help you save lives close to home. Every Donor receives an FC Cincinnati 40oz tumbler. Follow this link to schedule an appointment, or call (513)451-0910.

How 'unbossing' could change your workplace

“Conscious unbossing” is a management approach that moves away from traditional hierarchies, giving employees more autonomy and pushing decision-making closer to the people doing the work.

Grant Writing Is Infrastructure Grant writing is the bridge between vision and resources. Until funders invest in it, grassroots organizations will remain underfunded.

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