2026 and the Nonprofit Reality: Building Resilience in an Era of Volatility

In the nonprofit landscape entering 2026, the defining reality is not a lack of generosity, it is volatility. Charitable giving in the U.S. rose to an estimated $592.5B in 2024 and, importantly, outpaced inflation again, suggesting donors are still showing up when they believe their giving will matter. At the same time, many organizations are operating in a far more fragile environment: higher operating costs, staffing strain, and real disruption in public funding flows have created conditions where even strong organizations are being forced to pause programs, restructure, or reduce headcount.

From Landmark’s perspective, the “new year” advice is therefore about building resilience without losing your mission’s urgency.

Start by treating revenue strategy as a risk-management discipline. If your organization relies heavily on a single channel—one major government contract, one annual event, a narrow foundation portfolio—2026 is the year to rebalance. Even modest diversification (a recurring donor program with clear retention targets; a corporate pipeline tied to workforce and community benefit priorities; a realistic grants calendar aligned to true program capacity) can keep one disruption from becoming a crisis. Sector surveys continue to show rising demand and constrained resources; resilience has become an operational requirement, not a strategic luxury.

Next, double down on retention and trust. In a stretched economy, donors and funders are more selective, and more evidence driven. That is not a call for sterile reporting. It is a call for disciplined storytelling: clear outcomes, credible numbers, and human narratives that demonstrate why your work is essential now, not someday.

Third, modernize your “fundability” infrastructure. Foundations are increasingly exploring AI-supported review processes, which elevates the importance of clarity, consistency, and strong program logic in proposals and attachments. If your case for support is scattered across different documents, or your outcomes are aspirational rather than measurable, you are making it harder for both humans and systems to advocate for you.

Finally, plan for the practical shifts that influence donor behavior. Reported changes to federal charitable deduction rules beginning in 2026 underscore why organizations should communicate giving options plainly, encourage donors to consult their advisors, and be prepared for more “value-conscious” giving patterns.

If 2025 taught the sector anything, it is that sustainability is built in the unglamorous work: strong data, repeatable development systems, scenario planning, and leadership that protects staff capacity. 2026 is the year to operationalize that discipline—so your mission can keep moving, even when conditions do not cooperate.

Beyond the Hashtag: The Real Reason Nonprofits Can’t Ignore Giving Tuesday

I’ll be honest: I’ve never been terribly fond of Giving Tuesday.

For all the good it does, it has always felt a bit strange to funnel so much energy into one single day of generosity when, in reality, nonprofits need support every day of the year. Our communities don’t stop facing hunger, displacement, illness, or hardship on the other 364 days. Our organizations don’t pause the work. And the people we serve can’t afford to wait for a hashtag to receive help.

To me, philanthropy should be a mindset, not a moment.

I believe giving should be woven into the rhythm of our lives, whether it’s volunteering time, offering expertise, making a monthly donation, amplifying a mission, or simply choosing to support causes consistently, not reactively. When generosity becomes habit instead of hype, our impact becomes stronger, steadier, and more transformative.

And yet…
Even with my ambivalence, I also understand why Giving Tuesday matters.

It’s one of the few days each year when the world is collectively oriented toward giving. A day when donors actively look for organizations to support. A day when visibility skyrockets, momentum builds, and even small nonprofits can reach audiences they wouldn’t reach otherwise.

Showing up on Giving Tuesday doesn’t mean we believe generosity belongs to only one day. It means we’re meeting people where they already are, while reminding them that the needs continue long after the hashtags fade.

For nonprofits, it’s an opportunity:
• to reconnect with supporters,
• to share a story that might otherwise go unseen,
• to spark a gift that becomes a monthly commitment,
• and to invite people into a year-round community of care.

So, while Giving Tuesday may never be my favorite “holiday,” I recognize its value. Not for the frenzy, but for the connection. Not for the competition, but for the chance to highlight work that deserves attention every day, not just today.

If we use this moment wisely, we can help donors rediscover something deeper: that generosity is not an event.
It’s a practice.
It’s a choice we get to make, over and over again.

And when we make it together, consistently, communities change, not just on Giving Tuesday, but all year long.

If you’re moved, take a step—large or small—to support the causes that speak to your heart.

Nonprofit Myths Finally Debunked!

Reading NonProfit PRO’s recent piece on “Debunking the 10 Biggest Nonprofit Myths” felt like a breath of fresh air. It was like finally hearing someone say out loud what so many of us have known for years: the misconceptions surrounding nonprofit work aren’t just frustrating—they’re damaging. For those of us working in the sector every day—balancing mission-driven urgency with operational realities—it’s a relief to see common misconceptions so clearly challenged and laid to rest.

Take Myth #1, “Nonprofits can’t make a profit.” It’s astonishing how persistent this idea is, despite the fact that financial sustainability is what allows nonprofits to exist in the first place. As the article points out, nonprofits can and should generate surpluses—those funds are reinvested into programs, people, and infrastructure, not distributed to shareholders. Without this reinvestment, nonprofits can’t grow or sustain impact.

Then there’s Myth #4, “Overhead is bad.” This is perhaps one of the most harmful tropes we face. When donors fixate on the percentage spent on administration instead of outcomes, it penalizes nonprofits for investing in strong leadership, staff development, evaluation, and communications—investments that are essential for effectiveness and scale.

And I couldn’t help but nod along to Myth #9, “Nonprofit staff are mostly volunteers.” This erasure of the skilled, underpaid, and overworked professionals who drive mission work every day is part of what fuels burnout and undervaluation. Nonprofit staff are strategists, technologists, fundraisers, policy advocates, and frontline workers—and they deserve the same respect and compensation as their for-profit peers.

Let’s be honest: the myths around nonprofit work have real consequences. The idea that nonprofits should “run lean” discourages investment in staff, infrastructure, and innovation—critical elements that any mission-focused organization needs to achieve real impact. When people assume nonprofits are run entirely by volunteers or shouldn't spend on marketing or overhead, they ignore the sophistication and strategy required to solve entrenched problems like poverty, inequity, and climate injustice.

I particularly appreciated the article’s reframing of the term “nonprofit” itself. Nonprofits are not defined by what they aren’t—they’re purpose-driven enterprises reinvesting every dollar back into the community, into systems change, and into people’s lives. The myth that “nonprofits don’t make money” misses the point. Nonprofits generate value—economic, cultural, and social—and they do it under stricter constraints than many of their for-profit peers.

As a sector, nonprofits need to keep pushing back on outdated narratives. Not just for the sake of their own operations, but for the public trust and donor support that are vital to their work. So, share this article widely. Talk to your boards, your funders, your partners. The more we confront these myths, the more room we make for meaningful, sustainable, and unapologetically powerful nonprofit work.

This article is more than a myth-busting exercise, it’s a call to action. It invites us to reframe the way we talk about the sector and to educate funders, board members, and the public about what it really takes to deliver mission-aligned impact. Let's make sure these truths echo beyond our walls.