Most Americans arent making year-end charitable donations amid economic fears: poll

Americans are keeping their wallets shut when it comes to making end-of-year charitable donations as economic woes continue.Nonprofits relying on donation surges in the last few days of 2025 will likely be disappointed due to the high cost of living, inflation and rising unemployment, according to a new AP-NORC poll.About half of Americans say they’ve already cut their charity checks for 2025, the survey found — and those donors don’t plan on giving more.Just 18% say they’ve already donated and will do so again in before year’s end, while a slim 6% say they’re waiting until the last minute.

The rest, 30%, say they haven’t given a dime and don’t intend to.That means just 24% of survey respondents plan to make a donation before year’s end during a crucial time for charities.December still serves as a “very important deadline” for donors, Dianne Chipps Bailey, managing director of Bank of America’s philanthropy division, told the AP.She cited estimates from the National Philanthropic Trust that nearly one third of annual giving happens in the final month of the year.“December 31 does provide a target to make sure that they’ve given what they intended to give before the year is over,” Bailey said.Despite a wide range of causes to donate to — from natural disasters like Los Angeles’ historically destructive wildfires to social services that have had their federal funding cut — weaker income gains and steep price inflation meant that lower-income households had less money to donate.Oakley Graham, a 32-year-old from Missouri, said that his family has “definitely tightened the financial belt” in recent years. He and his wife are dealing with student loan debts now that the Trump administration suspended their repayment plan and their two young children seem always to be growing out of their clothes.“Not that I’m not willing to give here and there,” Graham said.

“But it seems like it’s pretty tough to find the extra funds....