2024 Stock Gifting Insights and Takeaways

2024 was an extraordinary year for charitable stock gifting, as more donors and fundraisers leaned into tax-advantaged gifts of appreciated stocks, ETFs and mutual funds. While overall giving has been flat or slightly down, stock gifting stands out as one of the few remaining areas of growth.

With the S&P 500 surging 24% while awareness continues to grow, we witnessed remarkable expansion across all metrics. Nonprofits on our platform saw dramatic increases in both donations and proceeds along with a strong growth in recurring gifts. It's becoming increasingly clear that more and more donors are embracing what insiders have long known – that stock gifting is simply a smarter way to have a charitable impact.

Nonprofit Stats for 2024

1. Average gift was $7,400;
2. 71% of nonprofits that received 2 or more gifts in 2023 received gifts in 2024;
3. Nonprofits that received stock gifts in prior years saw 101% growth in gifts and 201% growth in proceeds, on average;
4. When excluding outperformers, the average nonprofit saw 52% and 123% growth in gifts and proceeds.

Donor Stats for 2024

1. Average stock gift of $7.4k was up 42% vs. 2023;
2. Donors made an average of 1.7 gifts worth $13.3k in total giving;
3. 34% of donors from 2023 made reoccurring gifts in 2024 (2x the average retention of new donors);
4. Repeat donors from prior years made 2.4 gifts (+51%) worth $14.3k (+48% vs. first time donors);
5. 27% of stock gifts (comprising 41% of proceeds) were initiated by financial advisors on behalf of donors.

Most gifted stocks in 2024

As illustrated below, 6 stocks comprised 70% of proceeds from stock gifting. Nvidia and Apple alone comprised almost half. The not-so-silver lining: when multiple donors gift the same stock, it’s very difficult to manually reconcile whose stock is whose.

Looking ahead

All indicators point to continued momentum in charitable stock gifting through 2025 and beyond. As more donors and nonprofit fundraisers recognize the win-win nature of stock donations, stock gifting should continue to become increasingly mainstream. The resilient stock market, despite occasional volatility, continues to create opportunities for tax-smart giving.

Also worth noting: as government grant funding faces potential cuts, individual donors will play an increasingly vital role in supporting crucial nonprofit missions. This shift makes the efficiency and tax advantages of stock gifting more important than ever.

Nonprofits that embrace and promote stock gifting can tap into a growing pool of sophisticated donors eager to maximize their charitable impact while minimizing their tax burden. The future of charitable giving is increasingly shifting towards assets vs. cash, and DonateStock remains committed to making this powerful giving method accessible and easy for all.