January CDP Index: High-dollar gifts, new donors fuel standout year for membership revenue

This edition of the CDP Public Media Index report focuses on 12-month period comparisons to review this extraordinary year of fundraising performance in its entirety. Though the three-month index shows peak growth rates occurring in September 2025, comparing the full 12 months of the year to the prior year shows steady growth through December.

The Membership Revenue Index showed a 42% increase in 2025 compared to 2024. Both TV/Joint licensees and Radio-only organizations had year-over-year revenue increases exceeding 40%, as did organizations across all sizes.

A key driver for revenue growth in 2025 was donors giving at higher levels. The High-Dollar Gifts Index, tracking gifts of $500 or more, had the greatest growth rate among Index key performance indicators at 88% more gifts received in 2025 than in 2024. Again, similarly high rates of growth were the median for organizations of all sizes and types.  

The percentage of all current donors giving at the $1,000 or more level increased, even as overall donor counts have increased. In other words, a greater share of a greater number of donors are giving at least $1,000.

The New Donor Index also had growth that exceeded 80% in 2025. Here, Radio outperformed TV/Joint licensees with a 154% median increase in new donors versus a 71% increase for TV/Joint licensees. Like high-dollar donors, new donors also saw the share of these donors increase among all current-year donors.

Vitally important for 2026, donor retention will get an assist from increases in sustainer giving and increased Passport engagement. The Sustainer Index saw an increase of 16% year-over-year, with 45% of new donors making sustainer gifts (up from 39% in 2024). The number of Passport Users increased by 12% in 2025. Overall donor retention rates increased from 79% to 85% for donors who stream Passport.

It is remarkable what our membership and major-gift fundraisers accomplished in 2025, many with staffing cuts and tighter budgets. As organizations look toward 2026, retaining new and higher-level donors will be key to file and revenue stability as the impact of the funding cuts on donor motivation wanes.  

Following three years of lackluster fundraising performance, no one could have foreseen the groundswell of giving experienced by public media organizations across the U. S. in 2025. Of course, few could have imagined that by the end of the year, CPB would shutter and stations would lose federal funding, either.

Now our focus must shift to maximizing the growth in donors and revenue from individuals in 2025 with strong stewardship, local outreach and engagement, and ongoing collaboration with our peers.

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.