November CDP Index: Growth continues through October but at slower pace
The numbers below illustrate the tremendous growth rates that the system is experiencing for revenue, new donors and gifts of $500 or more for the three-month period ending Oct. 31 compared to the same three-month period in 2024. The bar charts, however, indicate that growth slowed in this most recent reporting period compared to last month.
The Membership Revenue Index showed a 78.6% increase for the three-month period ending Oct. 31 compared to the same three months in 2024, with TV/Joint licensees seeing an 80% increase in revenue and Radio-only organizations a 70% increase. By organization size, stations with fewer than 15,000 donors had the greatest three-month increase in revenue at 87%.
A key driver for revenue growth is donors giving at higher levels. The High-Dollar Gifts Index, tracking gifts of $500 or more, surpassed new donor growth for the second report in a row. The three-month index shows an increase in larger gifts of nearly 178%, and the 12-month index shows growth exceeding 60%.
TV/Joint licensees had gains of 195%, and Radio saw growth of 144% in gifts of $500 or more. Once again, it was the stations with fewer than 15,000 donors that saw the greatest growth, exceeding 200%.
The New Donor Index growth for the three-month period was still a remarkable 170.1%. The number of new donors to Radio increased by nearly 200% over the same period last year, down from last month’s reporting of 300% growth. TV/Joint licensees saw a lift in new donors of 157%, down from 185% last month.
This strong performance in new donor acquisition continues to fuel growth of our sustainer populations with a 16.3% increase in the Sustainers Index. Below is a 12-month rolling report showing the median share of new donors making sustainer gifts. An increasing share of an increasing number of new donors made sustainer gifts since February 2025.
Early analysis of 2025 new donors shows that in addition to making more sustainer gifts, they are giving additional gifts at higher rates. And they are engaging with Passport at a healthy rate, as the 15% increase in the Passport Users Index illustrates.
As growth rates slow, retaining these new donors will be key to a successful 2026. Committing to sustainer giving, making second gifts right away and streaming Passport are all signs that these new donors want to engage with you. Be sure you are communicating with this group using thoughtful messaging to keep them involved and to encourage that relationship to flourish.
In the coming days, CDP will be publishing a follow-up to our new donor analysis to provide more insight into this motivated group of donors.
It is also important to emphasize that the data included in this most recent CDP Public Media Index is for giving through October 2025. The Index does not yet include the end-of-calendar-year highs that December tends to bring. Early indications are that Giving Tuesday was a great success for public media organizations. With a few weeks to go, we’re anticipating a strong finish to 2025.
This monthly report on the fundraising performance of public media stations is provided through an editorial collaboration between Current and Contributor Development Partnership (CDP). The collaboration draws from CDP’s National Reference File, which collects monthly membership and revenue data from more than 170 public media stations. (Read more about the methodology.)
Deb Ashmore joined CDP as Analytics Strategist in September 2023. With more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector and public media fundraising, she is passionate about working to help clients understand their fundraising data to inform strategies for long-term file health and growth. Her previous public media experience includes 10 years as director of individual giving for WXPN in Philadelphia.
