Looking Ahead to 2026: Takeaways from NonProfit POWER

Last week, our team traveled to Baltimore to participate as the P2P Co-Chairs of the 2025 NonProfit POWER Conference. This annual gathering hosted by the folks at NonProfit Pro brings together nonprofit executives to reflect on challenges, engage in thoughtful conversations around strategy, and look ahead to what’s to come in the next year. As always, we were thrilled to participate and enjoyed hearing from nonprofits and thought leaders over three days.

So these are the trends, opportunities and challenges we should keep an eye on for 2026.

• It’s going to be the year of the small donor. Keynote speaker Erik Daubert of the Lily School of Philanthropy at Indiana University opened the conference with a look at trends in fundraising, including the rate of giving and dollars given. In our world of P2P fundraising, one of our biggest takeaways was his prediction that 2026 will be the year of the small donor. Due to the changes in tax law and the new Universal Charitable Deduction going into effect, all taxpayers can deduct charitable giving, which may increase smaller donations and donations from lower- and middle-income households. We’re eager to see the impact these changes have on P2P fundraising events, where a high percentage of donations are small.
• AI is evolving at a rapid pace. It was clear during the conference sessions that focused on technology that AI is top of mind for most senior leaders and one of the biggest takeaways was that nonprofits need to establish and use AI governance boards. Many attendees had concerns about using AI ethically and presenters shared how each of their companies rely on strict adherence to a set of guidelines overseen by an established committee. Attendees also wanted to know what AI in nonprofits means for jobs. All of the panelists seemed to agree that AI won’t replace humans because AI is a tool that needs human oversight in order to be effective.
• Nonprofit trust is increasingly important in uncertain times. The closing session of the conference from Shannon McCracken at The Nonprofit Alliance was an enlightening look at nonprofit fundraising in the context of the current regulatory and legislative threats to 501c3 organizations. Essentially — what are nonprofits to do in this time where our government is weaponizing 501c3 status? The two helpful takeaways for nonprofits in this time of uncertainty were to get your house in order and use this as an opportunity to demonstrate value. To the first point, compliance is key. She encouraged attendees to make sure their governance, financial oversight, tax filing obligations, reporting and board compliance were buttoned up and inscrutable. Secondly, now is the time for nonprofits to demonstrate value by increasing transparency, engaging their communities, and building social capital through coalitions that strengthen community resilience. All the more reason to demonstrate your value and build coalitions in the community by engaging constituents in experiential events that connect supporters to your mission.
• There is power in P2P fundraising. We shared the stage with Andrea Courtney from City of Hope’s Walk for Hope to talk about the evolution of their event and Walk for Hope’s role as a brandraiser, connector, and fundraiser. We dug into the mission-centered experience design of the event and the role it plays in the overall philanthropy portfolio for City of Hope.

Overall, the conference was a great way to wind down 2025 while looking ahead to 2026. While no one has a crystal ball, we are encouraged by some of the takeaways from industry experts and what they might mean for P2P fundraising events in the year to come.

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