Gen Z Is More Generous Than You Think: GoFundMe and GivingTuesday Reveal New Research on How Gen Z Is Shaping the Future of Giving Online

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GoFundMe and the GivingTuesday Data Commons today announced new research that highlights a critical shift – and opportunity – for nonprofits: Gen Z already participates in philanthropy at higher rates than other adults, with a distinct strength in giving rooted in personal relationships and social connections. They are supporting causes through sharing, donating, advocating, and community fundraising, often in visible, digital formats that inspire their peers to give as well.

The findings show that these behaviors are not a departure from nonprofit support, but an entry point, with network-driven giving and community-powered fundraising platforms like GoFundMe acting as on-ramps that help convert participation into ongoing charitable support. The new research challenges common narratives that Gen Z cares loudly but gives sparingly to nonprofits.

Among the report’s key findings:

• Gen Z gives in more ways, and more often, than other adults. Upwards of 70% of Gen Z reported some form of giving in the past week, as compared with 65% of other adults. They were also more likely to give money despite being more likely to have lower incomes, be students, or be unemployed, given their life stage.
• This generation’s giving is distinctly personal and relational. Gen Z stands furthest ahead of other adults in advocacy, giving directly to individuals, informal giving, and volunteering. They give where the need feels personal, immediate, and human.
• Their trust is increasingly built through immediate networks. Nearly 60% of Gen Z supporters say family or others shape their giving decisions, compared with nearly 45% of other adults. Community fundraising is uniquely positioned to meet this moment, serving as a natural entry point into giving and a key pathway to nonprofit support.
• Sharing is a force multiplier for generosity. Gen Z is more likely than other adults to publicly support and advocate for community groups, nonprofits, and independent efforts. By making their support visible, they not only inspire others to see, join, and amplify that giving, but also help increase funds raised.
• Community-powered fundraising platforms are on-ramps to nonprofit giving. Gen Z users of online fundraising platforms like GoFundMe are more likely to give to registered nonprofits than their peers who don’t use those platforms. For this generation, community fundraising and peer-driven giving are often the first step into broader philanthropic participation. Rather than diverting support away from nonprofits, platforms like GoFundMe appear to expand participation in charitable giving overall.

“Gen Z is showing us that generosity does not begin with financial capacity alone,” said Tim Cadogan, CEO of GoFundMe. “It begins with participation, trust, relationships, and a willingness to make support visible. These findings reinforce that Gen Z is not a future donor segment. They are already reshaping giving today: socially, publicly, and online. That creates a clear call to action for nonprofits: build for the ways Gen Z already engages by making it easier to share causes, rally communities, fundraise, and give in digital spaces. The nonprofits that embrace these behaviors now will be the ones that turn Gen Z participation into long-term support and growth.”

“What this research reveals is that giving is increasingly community based, and Gen Z understands that instinctively. They give in ways that are visible, relational, and multidimensional,” said Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday. “They’re not ‘future’ donors or leaders – they’re contributing and shaping the culture of generosity right now. Our job is to meet them where they are and build the structures and support that honor what they’re already doing, because that is how a generosity movement grows.”

Together, the findings paint a picture of a generation that already has outsized influence on how giving spreads, scales, and compounds over time.

The analysis is based on GivingTuesday’s GivingPulse surveys, a weekly tracking study conducted by the GivingTuesday Data Commons, with insights and implications developed in collaboration with GoFundMe. The report examines giving behaviors among adults ages 18 to 29 compared with adults ages 30 to 85, based on data collected between January 1, 2025 and January 11, 2026 from a total sample of 10,411 U.S. respondents.

You can read the full report here.

About the Research

The findings in this report are based on GivingTuesday’s GivingPulse surveys, a weekly cross-sectional survey conducted by the GivingTuesday Data Commons. Each week, approximately 100 U.S. adults aged 18 to 85 are sampled from an Ipsos pre-recruited online panel, with quotas aligned to U.S. Census benchmarks for age, gender, and geography. The survey captures a broad range of giving behaviors, including monetary donations, item giving, volunteering, and advocacy, directed toward registered nonprofits, community groups, and individuals, as well as attitudes toward generosity, nonprofits, and civic life. Respondents report on their giving behaviors over the past week and past month, with all data self-reported. Results are analyzed both in aggregate across weeks and as rolling four-week averages to track trends over time. For this analysis, respondents ages 18 to 29 were compared with respondents ages 30 to 85 using data collected between January 1, 2025 and January 11, 2026, representing a total sample of 10,411 respondents. Additional methodological details are available here.

About GoFundMe

GoFundMe is a community-powered fundraising platform dedicated to helping people help each other. GoFundMe combines storytelling and fundraising to make it easy for people and nonprofits to share their stories, connect with supporters, and reach their fundraising goals. GoFundMe empowers individuals and organizations to make a meaningful difference for the causes and communities that matter most to them. GoFundMe has enabled more than $40 billion of help for communities across the globe.

About GivingTuesday

GivingTuesday is a movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world. It was created in 2012 at New York’s 92nd Street Y and incubated in its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact. What started as a simple idea of a day that encourages people to do good has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity year-round. The movement is brought to life through a distributed network of entrepreneurial leaders who lead national movements in more than 110 countries across the globe. An integral part of the global generosity movement is the GivingTuesday organization, which offers support and resources to GivingTuesday leaders and fosters connection and collaboration across the network. To learn more about GivingTuesday, please visit: www.givingtuesday.org.

About GivingTuesday Data Commons

The GivingTuesday Data Commons is a global network that enables data collaboration across the social sector. The Data Commons convenes specialist working groups, conducts collaborative research into giving-related behaviors, reveals trends in generosity and donations, and shares findings among its global community. With more than 180 data partners and 2,500 collaborators, the Data Commons is the largest philanthropic data collaboration ever built.