3 Key Trends in Church Giving

Every summer, the Giving USA report gives us the clearest picture available of how Americans are actually giving their money away. It is not a survey of opinions. It is an economic estimate built from tax data, market performance, and years of research, and it tends to tell an honest story rather than a flattering one. The 2026 report, covering giving in 2025, is out, and there are three findings in it that I think every pastor, session, vestry, or capital campaign committee ought to sit with for a minute.

Total giving is up, but faith-based giving is changing

Total giving crossed 600 billion dollars, and religion did not keep pace.

Charitable giving in the United States rose 5.7 percent in current dollars, or 3.0 percent after adjusting for inflation, reaching an estimated 617.2 billion dollars in 2025. That is a real milestone for American generosity as a whole. But when you look at where that growth actually landed, religion tells a quieter story. Giving to religion grew 2.4 percent in current dollars and was essentially flat, down slightly, once adjusted for inflation. Meanwhile education, public society benefit, and environment and animals all saw growth above 10 percent in current dollars, and those three areas have posted the largest annualized rates of change over the last five years.

I do not share that number to alarm anyone or to suggest that generosity in the church is dying. I share it because it confirms something I have watched for two decades. Congregations that treat annual giving and capital giving as an administrative task, something to manage rather than something to shepherd, tend to plateau. Congregations that do the harder work of discernment, helping people connect their giving to their faith and their sense of calling, tend to grow. The data suggests the sector as a whole has room to do that better.

Bequests grew nearly 20 percent, the largest jump of any giving source.

If there is one number in this report that should get a congregation's attention, it is this one. Bequest giving rose nearly 20 percent, 16.6 percent after adjusting for inflation, the largest increase of any of the four sources of giving in 2025. And this was not a one time spike. Bequests have increased 20 percent or more in current dollars in three of the last four years, even though bequest giving has historically been one of the more volatile categories year to year.

This is exactly why I have spent the last several months rewriting my planned giving material specifically for a church audience. Most congregations have no meaningful legacy giving program at all. They wait for a bequest to arrive as a surprise rather than inviting members, especially longtime and older members, into a conversation about how their life of faith might extend beyond their lifetime. The data says the appetite for this kind of giving is real and growing. The opportunity for churches that build even a simple, faithful legacy giving effort is significant.

Giving grew even while consumer confidence stayed low.

Here is the finding I find most encouraging. A strong stock market lifted individual giving 4.1 percent in current dollars, 1.4 percent adjusted for inflation, even though consumer sentiment, which also influences giving, remained near historic lows and may have dampened giving by some households. In plain terms, people were anxious about the economy and gave anyway.

I think congregational leaders often talk themselves out of a capital campaign or a stewardship renewal because the economic mood in the room feels uncertain. This finding is a good reminder that generosity does not wait for perfect conditions. People do not give because the economy feels safe. They give because they have been invited into a vision they believe in and a mission they trust. That has always been true in my experience, and now there is a full year of national data backing it up.

None of these three findings changes the fundamentals of good stewardship work. Vision still matters more than mechanics. Discernment still has to come before execution. But they do offer congregational leaders a little more confidence heading into budget season and campaign planning. Giving is strong. Legacy giving is growing fast. And your people are capable of generosity even when the headlines are not encouraging. The only real question left is whether your congregation is ready to ask.

Source: Giving USA 2026: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2025, Giving USA Foundation, researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.