Each year, Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy, published by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, offers a comprehensive view of charitable giving across the country. The 2025 edition shows that Americans contributed an estimated $592 billion in 2024, a 6% increase over the previous year. Individual giving remains the largest share of total philanthropy, while corporate giving continues to hover around 1% of pre-tax profits.
For Bob Demont, president of Demont Associates, the data tells an important but incomplete story. “Just because giving goes up or down doesn’t mean our causes will follow,” he said. “Averages and national trends don’t determine outcomes. Leadership, clarity of mission, and human connection do.”
Demont believes the report underscores both opportunity and responsibility. With the federal government scaling back support for essential services, he sees an opening for private philanthropy to meet community needs in new ways. He also points to findings that individuals who volunteer are far more generous financially, urging nonprofits to build volunteer engagement into their development strategies.
“New England’s giving rates may trail the national average,” Demont said, “but when local leaders rally around a shared purpose, they can exceed expectations and change outcomes for their communities.”
For Demont Associates’ clients and partners, the message is forward-looking: use the data as a compass, not a ceiling. Let authentic connection drive philanthropy’s next chapter.