Reigniting the Civic Circle: How Nonprofits Can Rebuild Community and Reclaim Their Donor Base

Something has quietly shifted in the nonprofit sector, and most of us feel it even if we haven’t named it.

Fewer people are giving. Donor numbers have dropped every year since 2021, even as total dollars rise. The smallest donors, those giving $100 or less, fell nearly 9% in 2024 alone. At the same time, the U.S. Surgeon General has named loneliness a public health crisis, with about half of American adults reporting they feel lonely.

These aren’t separate problems. They’re the same problem.

People haven’t stopped caring. We’ve stopped inviting them. In the push for sustainability, many of us traded broad community support for fewer, larger gifts. It was a reasonable trade. It also cost us the neighbors, volunteers, and small donors who used to feel needed.

Then we tell ourselves stories about why they left. They lost interest. They moved on. They don’t want to hear from us. Is that the truth? More often, they just haven’t heard from us.

In listening sessions across Southern West Virginia, people were asked what they’re proudest of in their community. They named each other first. The generosity is still here. Our organizations can be where it goes.

This is a hands-on session. Using a simple framework, Pull Up a Chair, participants will name who’s missing from their table, brainstorm how to invite them back, and decide what to invite them to. They’ll leave with five names, one written invitation, and a plan to make it this week.

This isn’t a tactics session. It’s a return to something we already know how to do.