How can education fundraisers grow generosity in the face of shrinking budgets, donor fatigue, and shifting engagement trends? The 2025 Education Nonprofit Benchmark Report from Virtuous and The Phoenix Philanthropy Group offers clarity and actionable next steps.
In the webinar above, we unpacked the data behind the report, exploring what it reveals about donor behavior, revenue trends, and team priorities.
Whether you’re at a university advancement office or a K–12 foundation, these benchmarks offer a roadmap to strengthen your fundraising efforts in the year ahead. Here are three major findings:
1. Education Leads in Gift Size but Retention Needs Attention
The average gift size for education organizations is more than double that of other nonprofit sectors, clocking in at $296 compared to $127 across all sectors. Similarly, median gifts are significantly higher: $86 vs. $48.
And yet, high generosity does not mean high retention. Education nonprofits retained just over half (51%) of their donors in 2024, aligned with the industry benchmark but leaving significant room for improvement.
More concerning: the first-to-second gift conversion rate for education donors was just 24%, which is well below the sector-wide average of 34%. Additionally, the average time between the first and second gift stretched to 159 days, the longest of any vertical.
What it means: Fundraisers for education nonprofits have a strong base of generosity to work with, but turning one-time donors into loyal supporters is a clear area of opportunity. Focus on building responsive donor journeys that shorten the path to a second gift and reinforce the impact of each donation.
2. Recurring Giving Is a Missed Opportunity
Despite growing trends across the nonprofit sector, recurring giving remains underutilized in education fundraising. While 13% of revenue in all sectors now comes from recurring donors, education lags at just 3%. Given the benefits like predictable revenue, higher lifetime value, and stronger donor engagement, this is a significant gap.
What it means: Alumni, parents, and education advocates are already inclined to give generously. Building branded, mission-aligned recurring giving programs could dramatically increase lifetime value while also easing the strain of seasonal fundraising spikes.
3. Donor Acquisition Is Strong but Expansion Is Declining
Education institutions are outpacing other sectors in new donor acquisition, with 42% of active donors being new in 2024, compared to 29% across all nonprofits. However, the report also shows donor expansion (how much more your existing donors are giving year over year) was down 2.28%, the lowest among all verticals.
This signals a risky overreliance on acquiring new donors rather than growing existing donor relationships. In other words, education organizations may be filling the top of the funnel but failing to deepen support from those already in their corner.
What it means: To strengthen your donor base, build intentional mid-level and upgrade strategies that help loyal donors increase their giving.
A Responsive Path Forward
Education donors are generous, but fundraisers need to respond more effectively if they want to build lasting donor relationships.
That’s the heart of Responsive Fundraising: listening to donor signals, connecting through meaningful experiences, suggesting the right next step, and learning as you go. When education organizations pair high-capacity giving with high-touch engagement, they unlock deeper loyalty, greater generosity, and scalable growth
Ready to benchmark your organization? Download the full 2025 Education Nonprofit Benchmark Report to explore all seven metrics and complete the free Health Check Tool to see how your data stacks up.
Ready To Take the Next Step?
Ready to see how Virtuous could work for your team? Whether you’re mid-evaluation or just exploring, we’d love to help you explore what’s possible. Schedule your personalized demo today.
