The rankings are out for the year’s biggest donors: The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently published their annual Philanthropy 50, which provides a comprehensive look at America’s top philanthropists from the previous year.
Topping the list for the third straight year is Michael Bloomberg. He gave $4.3 billion to the arts, education, public health, the environment, and improvement of city government. Next on the list are Bill Gates (No. 2, $3.7 billion), for support of the Gates Foundation, and Paul Allen (No. 3, $3.1 billion), who left a bequest to establish a foundation supporting science and technology. Warren Buffett follows next (No. 4, $1.3 billion), for gifts to four family foundations, then Michael and Susan Dell (No. 5, $975 million), for gifts to their foundation and donor-advised fund.
Much can be learned from these donors’ approaches to giving. Check out some key takeaways below.
Relationships Between Donors and Nonprofits Matter
The Philanthropy 50’s most notable trend is the growing influence of ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) donors on the nonprofit sector, with the biggest donors collectively giving $22.4 billion in 2025. The Chronicle cites 2024 research which found that the 0.3% of donors who gave $50,000 or more accounted for 45% of all giving in a single year. Many of the largest gifts from 2025 went to research hospitals and universities.
The key takeaway? These major gifts almost always come from long-term relationships between donors and nonprofits. The Chronicle found that more than two-thirds of the donors on the list had long-term relationships, most lasting five to 10+ years, with the charities they gave most to in 2025.
According to Jeff Schreifels, a fundraising consultant at Veritus Group, major donations come about through building relationships. “It’s being that bridge between the donor and their desire to change the world and matching that up with everything that the nonprofit does,” said Jeff.
Additional Insights
- UHNW donors respond best to clear, ambitious ideas from nonprofits, especially from those that can show tangible results from their work. The Chronicle states that for some donors “results and data are what drive the connection [between donors and nonprofits]” and that plenty of people “still like to invest in charities that can statistically prove they’re making a difference.”
- Top donors are increasingly hands-on with their philanthropy. They’re developing their own giving strategies and collaborating with charitable partners to help make them happen instead of giving charities free rein to deploy their funding. Citing a nonprofit development director, The Chronicle explains that donors aren’t overstepping by wanting to be involved. Rather, they want their nonprofit partners to listen deeply to their vision and incorporate it into their strategic plan. Doing so will “lead to a much richer conversation [with donors] and much more trust.”
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