April CDP Index: Reactionary giving lift continues through first quarter of 2025

A comparison of key giving trends in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 shows remarkable growth following sluggish results for most of calendar year 2024. The Membership Revenue Index shows a year-over-year increase of 5.2% for the three-month period ending March 31 compared to the same three months in 2024. Radio experienced a very healthy 7.1% increase in revenue, and Television/Joint licensees had a 4.5% increase.

The impact of federal and, in some cases, state funding threats on giving is most notable in the New Donor Index. Over the three-month period, the median for all public media organizations increased by 5.5% compared to the same period last year. The 12-month report is still showing a year-over-year decline in new donors, so we remain cautiously optimistic.   

Increases for new donors for Radio continue to astound, reaching 65.3% in the three-month comparison period and driving nearly flat performance when comparing on a 12-month basis. One-third of all participating Radio organizations doubled or more than doubled the number of new donors acquired in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter of 2024.

Though not nearly as significant, new donors also increased for TV/Joint licensees during this period.  A 2.3% increase for this group was likely also driven by external factors, as the Passport Users Index continues to reflect relatively flat results, rising by less than 1% for Q1.  Though this lift is modest, it should be noted that it is the first increase in Passport users since the October 2024 Index.

As mentioned, lifts in new donors are seen in the Public Media Index when comparing the first quarter of this year to the first quarter of last year.  When we compare the most recent 12-month period to the prior 12-month period, new donors are still trending downward, with a 5.6% decline. This is true for every key source for new donors except for online giving, excluding pledge and Passport forms. Though every organization type has seen growth in online giving during this 12-month period, growth in digital has not fully offset declines in pledge and Passport.

We continue to advise that it is extremely important to monitor the rates at which new donors are making sustaining gifts. Donors who give one-time gifts during a period of heavy reactionary giving are often less reliably retainable. Converting these donors to sustainer giving, testing annual sustainer offers and refining stewardship of these donors will be areas to focus on in the coming months.

In the most recent period, 64% of all new online Radio donors and 58% of all new online TV/Joint licensee donors made one-time gifts. That’s a lot of new donors requiring increased retention efforts.

Finally, higher-level giving is also seeing a large increase in the first quarter of 2025. The High-dollar Gifts Index, tracking gifts of $500 or more, increased by 18% in the three-month comparison period.  TV/Joint had gains of 18.2%, and Radio saw a 16.7% increase. High-dollar gifts for small organizations (less than 15,000 donors) and large organizations (more than 40,000 donors) grew more than 20%. 

The increase in donations from our audiences at all giving levels has been heartening. Their gifts and messages of support keep spirits buoyed during a difficult period. But in a hectic news cycle, donors will be distracted and called to support many causes. It’s vital that the gains we see today are invested and stewarded with care and that we maintain efforts to ensure funding from all sources remains solid for years to come.

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.