State of Good by Pure Charity

Episode Title: "The Hidden Crisis Undermining Your Fundraising — And What to Do About It"

Summary: - Two new reports reveal how board governance failures are fueling nonprofit staff burnout and directly undermining fundraising capacity

• Gift bunching strategies are helping organizations maintain 87% of projected revenue ahead of 2026 tax changes
• A Gen Z donor calls out the nonprofit sector for misunderstanding their generation — they want authenticity and impact, not apps
• Identity-based giving research shows donors who see generosity as part of their self-concept give 2-3x more over their lifetime
• Cornell University's Giving Day proves that peer champions, not technology, drive record-breaking results

Sources & Links: - Inside Philanthropy / Nonprofit Finance Fund, "The Heart of the Nonprofit Sector": https://nff.org/insights/inside-philanthropy-covers-nffs-new-report-on-worker-well-being/

• Ohio Society of Association Professionals, "Burnout in the Nonprofit Sector Is Often a Governance Problem": https://www.ohiosap.org/news/burnout-in-the-nonprofit-sector-is-often-a-governance-problem
• Nonprofit Pro, "Gift Bunching for Nonprofits": https://www.nonprofitpro.com/how-nonprofits-can-use-gift-bunching-to-navigate-the-2026-charitable-deduction-changes/
• Women's Philanthropy Symposium 2026, Indiana University: https://events.iu.edu/philanthropy/event/2053887-womens-philanthropy-symposium-2026
• SPMCF, "Women Are Reshaping Philanthropy": https://spmcf.org/blog/women-giving-growth
• Chronicle of Philanthropy, "What Nonprofits Get Wrong About Gen Z Donors Like Me": https://www.philanthropy.com/opinion/commons-huseman-genzmyths-0326/
• Philanthropy.org, "Planned Giving and Endowment Strategy: Questions Nonprofits Avoid": https://philanthropy.org/the-endowment-questions-many-nonprofits-never-ask/
• Cornell News, "Record number of Giving Day 'champions' fuel fundraising success": https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/03/record-number-giving-day-champions-fuel-fundraising-success

Approximate Timestamps: - 0:00 — Introduction and episode preview

• 0:35 — The hidden crisis: staff burnout, board governance, and fundraising capacity
• 2:30 — Gift bunching strategies ahead of 2026 tax changes
• 3:30 — Why donors give: identity-based giving
• 4:45 — What changed: Gen Z donor calls out nonprofits; planned giving insights
• 6:30 — The bottom line and three action items
• 7:30 — Good in Action: Cornell's Giving Day champions
• 8:15 — Sign-off

Episode Title: $22B in Giving, Federal Funding Disruptions, and New Tax Rules — March 16, 2026

Summary:

• America's top philanthropists gave $22.4 billion in 2025, but much of it flowed to DAFs and foundations rather than directly to operating nonprofits
• One-third of U.S. nonprofits report disruptions from federal funding cuts, with two-thirds reliant on government sources
• New 0.5% AGI floor on charitable deductions changes the giving calculus for mid-level donors starting in 2026
• Foundations are considering increasing payout rates beyond minimums — a signal of new funding opportunities
• Gloria Vargas, a Florida waitress, has served 270,000 meals to homeless individuals since 2012

Sources & Links:

• Chronicle of Philanthropy — Major Donor Giving Analysis: https://www.philanthropy.com/news/money-donated-to-and-awarded-from-foundations-and-donor-advised-funds/
• Forvis Mazars — 2026 State of the Nonprofit Sector: https://www.forvismazars.us/getattachment/3ec27fe9-c655-4e7e-879d-fb04b7690fa8/2026-State-of-the-Nonprofit-Sector_Funding-Your-Mission.pd
• Windham Brannon — 2025-2026 Tax Planner: https://windhambrannon.com/blog/2025-2026-tax-planner-key-insights-for-a-changing-tax-landscape/
• Wayne County Community Foundation — Women and Philanthropy: https://www.waynecountycommunityfoundation.org/blog/2026/03/10/women-and-philanthropy-four-insights-to-inform-your-practice
• Center for Effective Philanthropy — Current Context Survey: https://cep.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CEP_Current-Context-Survey-2025_Foundations_final.pdf
• Inside Philanthropy — Toplines March 14, 2026: https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/toplines/toplines-march-14-2026
• Good News Network — Gloria Vargas Story: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/waitress-has-fed-270000-meals-to-homeless-floridians/

Timestamps:

• 0:00 — Intro
• 0:30 — Major Donors, Federal Funding Disruptions & New Tax Rules
• 3:30 — Why Donors Give: Women and Philanthropy
• 4:30 — What Changed: Foundation Payout Rates & AI in Philanthropy
• 6:30 — The Bottom Line: Three Actions for This Week
• 7:30 — Good in Action: Gloria Vargas and 270,000 Meals
• 8:30 — Outro

Episode 1: Welcome to the State of Good Report

If you lead fundraising at a nonprofit, or you're the executive director, or you sit on the board, you know the pressure never goes away. Great year? The clock resets in January. Land a major gift? You're already wondering what happens if that donor can't give next year.

This episode introduces the State of Good Report podcast and why it exists: to help nonprofit leaders fund their mission in a landscape that won't sit still — shifting donor behavior, disrupted government funding, changing foundation priorities, and new data every month.

Every week, host Mike Rusch and the team at Pure Charity help you work through three questions at the heart of sustainable nonprofit growth:

1. How do I fund this work?  Tracking giving data, research reports, and economic indicators so you don't have to.
2. How do I partner with donors?  The psychology behind why people give and how to deepen those relationships.
3. How do I care for the donors I already have?  Because the average nonprofit loses over half its donors every year, and it's fixable.

Each episode is under 10 minutes. No fluff, no jargon, just actionable intelligence you can use immediately.

Read the full written report (with all links and sources): go.purecharity.com/state-of-good

Subscribe to the weekly newsletter: go.purecharity.com/state-of-good

New episodes every Tuesday.