What to Expect in the 2026 Trends Report

2026 Nonprofit Trends Report Themes

Rebuilding the Trust Economy

Moving past surface-level outreach to align executive leadership, ethical governance, and internal accountability with modern donor expectations.

Diversifying Revenue and Financial Resilience

A complete breakdown of nonprofit funding streams, highlighting how organizations are navigating recent cash flow constraints and liquidity hurdles.

The AI Execution Gap

A reality check on artificial intelligence, mapping the divide between widespread superficial adoption and true systemic operationalization.

Optimizing Volunteer Networks

Analyzing how nonprofit leaders are building streamlined, impactful volunteer management strategies that reduce staff burnout.

Operational Integrity in Accounting

An analysis of modern nonprofit accounting practices, proving how backend data integrity directly fuels external fundraising transparency.

Sector-Specific Benchmarks

Tailored operational insights and data breakdowns across core subsectors, including Education, Environmental and Health, Human Services, and the Humanities.

Methodology

Research Methodology

Wakefield Research, commissioned by Momentive Software, surveyed 500 executives at U.S. nonprofit and educational organizations with a minimum annual revenue of $500K in five qualifying mission categories: Education; Environment & Animals; Health; Human Services; and Arts, Culture & Humanities, between May 1st and May 14th, 2026, using an email invitation and an online survey. Due to rounding, not all percentage totals in this report equal 100 percent.

PARTICIPANTS

Executives from U.S. nonprofit and educational organizations with a minimum annual revenue of $500,000, representing five mission categories: Education, Environment & Animals, Health, Human Services, and Arts, Culture & Humanities.

SAMPLE SIZE

500 executives

FIELDWORK

Conducted May 1–14, 2026 via email invitation and online survey.

RESPONDENTS

Senior executives from qualifying nonprofit and educational organizations across the five mission sectors listed above.