For Nonprofits:
Engaging the New Donor Mindset
Based on in-depth conversations with 223 Americans, Redefining Generosity uncovers how economic pressures, shifting values, and evolving trust are transforming giving.
Learn how today’s donors are shifting from large, top-down charities to hyperlocal, values-aligned organizations.
Explore key insights to help adapt your messaging, broaden engagement beyond financial giving, and strengthen donor relationships in uncertain times.
Thematic Insights
223 people from across the U.S. shared candid reflections on how they think about—and practice—giving in 2025. Their stories reveal the human realities behind the data and offer powerful insights into what generosity means today.
01.
Feeling Squeezed
People are feeling the squeeze of the economy, forcing participants across income levels to change how they give.
02.
Expanding Definitions
People are expanding their definitions how they practice generosity as financial giving becomes increasingly difficult.
03.
Localizing Giving
People are redirecting support from large national organizations to hyperlocal, community-based, and identity-specific groups.
04.
Seeking Transparency
People are vetting nonprofits closely, analyzing leadership diversity, overhead costs, and genuine equity commitments.
From The Community
223 people from across the U.S. shared candid reflections on how they think about—and practice—giving in 2025. Their stories reveal the human realities behind the data and offer powerful insights into what generosity means today.
About SLR
Social Lens Research
Social Lens Research is a user-centered market research agency that helps organizations build genuine empathy by understanding the lived experiences of diverse communities. Our technology-enabled approach delivers deep ethnographic insights at startup speed and a fraction of traditional costs, capturing authentic voices across cultural, economic, and geographic contexts.
The Lens Library
The Social Lens Library is a searchable collection of over 15,000 authentic video stories from 500 diverse Americans, updated monthly. This ethnographic video library captures real conversations about financial decision-making, community connections, values, and social change.
The Library provides insights into how different communities experience giving, trust, and economic pressure through actual voices and lived experiences—helping organizations develop more resonant messaging and strategies based on authentic understanding rather than assumptions.
About Us
Parkes Philanthropy
Parkes Philanthropy is nonprofit consulting firm making it easier for organizations to create and scale impact.
We provide fundraising, strategic planning, impact evaluation, and recruiting services for game-changing organizations that help our clients grow resources, deepen impact, and drive systemic change.
