Six Lessons for Political Fundraisers in 2026

Donors aren’t burnt out on giving. They just want it to feel meaningful. 

That’s one of the key takeaways from Bloomerang’s annual Giving Signals Report, a sweeping analysis of fundraising trends based on a survey of more than 1,000 donors and over 400 fundraisers. While the report is geared towards nonprofits, it features a bevy of lessons for political fundraisers at a key moment in the 2026 midterm cycle, including what donors care about and what irks them about the fundraising experience.

“Generosity isn’t fading. Trust isn’t eroding,” the report reads. “Donors are offering clear signals about what earns a ‘yes’ – and where the giving experience falls short.

Here’s what political professionals need to know:

Donors Give From Identity. Not Transaction.

The report found that 97 percent of donors say caring about their community motivates them, and 96 percent cite wanting to make a difference. Only 68 percent say that simply having money to give is what drives them to donate.

For political fundraisers, this reinforces that donor appeals built around identity and values – not just urgency or dollar asks – tend to perform better, particularly with small-dollar donors motivated by the feeling of belonging to a movement.

Clarity Beats Vague Appeals By a Wide Margin

Donors preferred a version of a fundraising appeal that specified exactly what a donation would fund over a generic “every-dollar-helps” version by 88 percentage points. 

Given that political fundraising emails often lean on urgency rather than specificity, this suggests campaigns and political action committees may see gains from telling donors precisely what their contribution accomplishes, whether it is a digital ad buy or field staff hours.

Millennials Are an Underleveraged Growth Engine 

Millennials are more likely than older generations to say they plan to increase giving this year, support a new organization for the first time and give through donor-advised funds, according to Bloomerang’s report.

They are also more responsive to matching campaigns, personalization and third-party reviews. For political fundraisers still optimizing primarily for older, established donor files, this suggests that it may be time to build acquisition strategies specifically for younger donors rather than folding them into general audience segments.

Checkout Friction Is Costing Gifts Across Every Age Group 

The report found that 70 percent of donors say a tip prompt at checkout may cause them to reconsider giving, and 79 percent say the same about unexpected fees. 

For the political world, that may sound familiar. ActBlue, WinRed and other platforms have faced scrutiny over their processing fees and tipping prompts. The Bloomerang report draws a distinction between the two, however: fees need transparency, while tip prompts – often inserted by the platform, not the campaign – are typically better turned off entirely.

Email is King

Email remains donors’ top preferred fundraising channel across every generation, at 69 percent, according to the report. 

Yet nonprofit leaders report leading more heavily with social media. Political campaigns face a similar channel mix question, especially as ad spend increasingly shifts toward digital and social. But the report is clear: email reigns supreme across virtually every age group, with 67 percent of Baby Boomers, 75 percent of Gen Xers and 70 percent of millennials naming it as their preferred channel for fundraising pleas.