December CDP Index: Giving driven by rescission shows signs of slowdown

The numbers below illustrate that the system continued to experience great growth in revenue, new donors and gifts of $500 or more for the three-month period ending Nov. 30 compared to the same three-month period in 2024. The bar charts, however, indicate that growth slowed in these areas since the peaks of October, which reflected reporting of data through September.

The Membership Revenue Index showed a 61% increase for the three-month period ending Nov. 30 compared to the same three months in 2024, with TV/Joint licensees seeing a 62% increase in revenue and Radio-only organizations a 60% increase. By organization size, stations with fewer than 15,000 donors had the greatest three-month increase in revenue at 70%.

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 third report in a row, as results move toward trend predating funding threats. The three-month index shows an increase in larger gifts of nearly 118%, and the 12-month index shows growth exceeding 70%.

TV/Joint licensees had three-month gains of 123%, and Radio saw growth of 111% in gifts of $500 or more. Once again, stations with fewer than 15,000 donors saw the greatest growth at 135%.

The New Donor Index growth for the three-month period remained strong at 105%. The number of new donors to Radio increased by 150% over the same period last year, down from last month’s reporting of 200% growth. TV/Joint licensees saw a lift in new donors of 96%, down from 157% last month.

Throughout 2025, all giving channels experienced an increase in new donor acquisition, but none more than digital — online giving that excludes pledge drives and Passport-specific donation forms. Though we are beginning to see some softening of growth rates in the three-month index, new donor growth over the last 12 months still increased, especially for digital giving. The chart below shows the rolling year-over-year growth in new donors via digital giving.

With nearly half making sustainer gifts, these new digital donors are a key component in the growth of sustainers in 2025. The Sustainers Index grew 16.3% for the second month in a row, with TV and Radio seeing similar growth rates.

Additionally, for TV and Joint licensees, Passport engagement is likely a key driver for sustainer growth this year. The Passport Users Index has a healthy 17.3% increase in the latest report.

With just one more month of data to collect for 2025, which will include Giving Tuesday and the end-of-calendar-year giving period, we are looking forward to completing a full analysis of giving trends, behaviors and demographics for this extraordinary year. In the meantime, we are keeping a careful eye on retention rates and donor churn and taking steps to keep these new donors engaged and active.

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.