For many of us, 2025 was an eventful year, with significant ongoing shifts across the technological, economic, and societal spheres. It was a year in which AI developments continued apace, changes in government and funding forced nonprofits to adapt, and ongoing shifts in the technological and media landscape continued to reshape how we relate to one another.
While none of us know how 2026 will play out, we can expect to see these sorts of trends continue into the new year and beyond. Here are three that we're watching closely.
Generative AI Continues to Evolve
In August, 2025, MIT published a pretty jarring statistic that generated some splashy headlines. According to its research, a whopping 95 percent of businesses that adopted AI tools saw no return on their investment.
Is AI actually worth the hype? Is it a bubble that's about to pop?
That latter question remains to be seen. But as far as AI adoption goes, things may not be in as bad of shape as the MIT headline might suggest. As Harvard Business Review's Nathan Furr and Andrew Shipilov pointed out, many organizations "[have fallen] into the trap of letting experimentation run wild" and haven't focused on adopting AI in ways that actually benefit the organization.
"It sounds obvious, but by framing AI as radical and disruptive we often lose sight of the connection to the most fundamental objective of business: to solve problems for customers," Furr and Shipilov wrote.
When applied to our work as nonprofits, we need to focus on using technology in a way that will best serve our mission and our communities. We need to use any new technology as a force multiplier to grow our impact. If AI is the tool that best solves a problem, great! If not, then maybe it's time to look for another solution.
The Takeaway
If your staff is using AI in their work, take some time in 2026 to evaluate how they’re using it and whether it's actually working for your organization. Look for ways it's helping you work toward your mission and focus on those areas. If it isn't helping you, reexamine how you're using AI or stop using it for those tasks. Focus on using the right tool for the job rather than following the hot new tech.
Polarization Threatens the Public's Trust in the Sector
Nonprofits as a whole still garner the public's trust, but with some catches. That's the takeaway of Independent Sector's annual Trust in Nonprofits and Philanthropy report (PDF).
The report, released in July, 2025, found that 57 percent of those surveyed reported having a high level of trust in nonprofits — the same level as in 2024. And only 12 percent indicated a low level of trust in nonprofits.
However, respondents are more wary about nonprofits' engagement when it comes to politics. According to the report, only 23 percent "trust nonprofits to avoid partisan politics." Additionally, when respondents learned of governmental financial support for nonprofits, only 38 percent of those surveyed said they had a high level of trust in those funded nonprofits.
Additionally, in its latest Giving Pulse report, GivingTuesday found the following:
"Politically, trust in others and in nonprofits remain higher on the left, though trust in others among left-leaning individuals has declined over previous quarters and is down 10% since Q3 2024. It is also lower among centrists generally speaking (unchanged compared with 2024), while trust in nonprofits has declined since Q4 2024."
On this point, GivingTuesday didn't specify attitudes among right-leaning individuals.
Although GivingTuesday's results are likely more indicative of a distrust in government than in nonprofits per se, they illustrate the challenges that nonprofits — and other societal institutions — face in our current media, cultural, and political landscape.
Further policy decisions could further threaten trust in the sector. The National Council for Nonprofits is concerned about "[attempts] to insert partisan politics — and the dark money that fuels it — into the charitable nonprofit sector." They argue that attempts to weaken or eliminate the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits 501(c)(3) organizations from endorsing, supporting, or opposing electoral candidates, "could severely damage the integrity and effectiveness of the entire sector" — and erode the public's trust in nonprofits.
And although not specific to nonprofits, a Gallup survey from 2023 shows that Gen Z has less trust in "political and societal institutions" than other generations.
The Takeaway
It's clear that nonprofits need to do whatever they can to foster trust with their communities.
How? This one's complicated because there are much larger societal forces at play — polarization, disinformation, partisan politics — that individual organizations can't control. So it's best to focus on the things you can control.
Transparency about finances, funding sources, and impact is a great place to start. As we noted in 2024, younger donors seem to crave transparency from the organizations they give to.
Also, strive to build stronger relationships within your community and with other organizations doing similar work. Be forthright about your organization's shortcomings and how you plan to address them. And consider how you can thread a message of trust and transparency throughout all your marketing and outreach.
Data-Driven Impact Reporting Can Counter False Narratives (and Aid in Fundraising)
It goes without saying — digital disinformation is a major problem. Between a fractured, algorithm-fed, rage-bait-driven media environment, a polarized public discourse, and the rise of AI hallucinations and deep fakes, the truth is having a rough go of it.
Nonprofits can play a big role in countering disinformation and misinformation. It's a tall order, and it's easier said than done: If the public is already distrustful, you may have a hard time connecting with them, even if the facts are on your side. But there's a good chance that you already have data that you can pull from to push back against false narratives.
But a data-driven approach goes even further. Many funders also expect organizations to show the impact of their work in a more tangible way. Funders and donors who subscribe to the notion of effective altruism will want to put their money into the causes and organizations that they feel will have the biggest impact.
The Takeaway
Organizations need to focus on stronger, data-centered reporting to show their impact, to act upon their data more effectively, and to spread the truth more widely.
To do so, examine the data and data analytics systems that you have. Are they giving you the visibility into your work that you need? Are there any bits of information you don't have? Use these sorts of questions to guide you as you determine your data needs.
You may also find it useful to research and share data from other sources to combat misinformation surrounding your area of focus. Subscriptions to databases from research firms can be valuable (think Gallup, Pew Research, Reuters, and so on), but so can the wealth of data from publicly accessible sources. Data Commons, from our partners at Google, pulls together a wide range of public data that you can refer to in your reports, outreach, grant applications, and so on.
Finally, your data reporting shouldn't just live in your annual report. So consider how you can use all your channels to present the data you have in a coherent, accurate way. Perhaps it takes the form of a series of "myth/fact" posts on your Instagram account. Or maybe you'll use search ads that point to a page on your website that provides up-to-date, accurate information on an issue in your mission area. Be creative and thoughtful and see what makes the most sense for you.
For more, take a look at Hive Mind: It's a project of TechSoup Europe to provide resources to counter disinformation, promote media literacy, and connect organizations to cybersecurity resources.
We're interested in seeing how this all plays out. Happy 2026!
Thumbnail image: Shutterstock
