The Future of Philanthropy in Education: Trends Shaping Giving in 2025 and Beyond

In 2025, the education sector across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia is undergoing a pivotal transformation in how philanthropy is understood and operationalised. No longer a supplementary funding stream, philanthropy is now viewed as a cornerstone for strategic growth, innovation, and equity. At Giving Architects (GA), we’ve seen this shift firsthand through our work with schools, tertiary institutions, and advancement teams. We’re supporting our clients to interpret and respond to emerging trends in donor behaviour, technology, and economic realities—ensuring their fundraising strategies are future-fit and resilient.

Evolving Donor Expectations: Beyond Giving, Towards Belonging

Across the sector, donors increasingly expect more than a tax receipt—they want belonging, connection, and agency in the change they’re funding. In Australia, the 2025 “Better Philanthropy Telescope” report highlights a marked pivot toward personalised giving experiences, where donors want clarity on the difference their support makes. We’ve helped several education clients navigate this shift by building donor journeys that centre around storytelling, impact reporting, and values alignment. In bicultural and multicultural contexts, we’re seeing more funders asking institutions to show cultural competence and deeper engagement with communities—something GA has integrated into co-designed campaign planning and stewardship strategies on several occasions.

These expectations mean advancement offices must now deliver emotionally intelligent fundraising. It’s not enough to have a compelling case for support—it must also feel personal, participatory, and transparent. At GA, we work alongside our education clients to move beyond generic asks and instead create dynamic, segmented engagement strategies that reflect the diversity and motivations of their donors.

Artificial Intelligence and the Digitisation of Fundraising

While artificial intelligence was once seen as futuristic, it’s now a core capability in leading advancement programmes. From donor segmentation and predictive modelling to content personalisation and automation, AI has become a strategic enabler. We are proud to be at the forefront of this evolution through our innovation arm, Giving Architects Intelligence (GAI). GAI is helping clients in education unlock the power of data to inform smarter decisions, free up fundraisers’ time for relationship building, and increase the value of outcomes through preparation and prioritisation.

Australian universities are already piloting AI tools for donor insights and engagement, while in New Zealand, government-led trials in AI for education are setting a precedent.

Our clients are looking to us not just for tools, but for ethical frameworks and practical implementation pathways. Through the formative stages of GAI being developed, we’ve worked in advancement settings to develop and implement scalable, AI-enhanced workflows that support everything from prospect research to stewardship automation—always with human connection at the centre.

AI doesn’t replace empathy—it enables it. It gives fundraisers more time to do what matters: listen, build trust, and inspire. We’re here to help institutions integrate AI without compromising their culture or the warmth of their donor relationships, a line we believe should never be crossed.

Economic Pressures and the New Landscape of Giving

The economic context in 2025 is posing significant challenges. In both New Zealand and Australia, cost-of-living pressures are dampening giving capacity in many households. Data from 2024 shows that nearly 29% of Australian charities missed their fundraising targets, while individual giving declined by 6%. At GA, we’ve been helping our clients adjust in real time—adapting their messaging, broadening their donor bases, and refining campaign scopes to match what’s viable in this climate. We’ve also maintained a strong focus on generating paradigm shifts in giving from high-value donors.

This moment calls for agility. Institutions can no longer rely solely on their loyal regular donors; they must also diversify income streams and expand their definition of supporter. We’re advising clients to invest in flexible giving structures—such as recurring gifts, community-led appeals, and digital-first campaigns — approaches that allow donors to engage at their capacity. Importantly, we are working to shift narratives away from transactional giving towards long-term, values-based partnerships. The case for education giving has never been stronger—but it must be communicated with clarity, urgency, and humility.

A Call to the Future: Innovation with Integrity

The future of educational philanthropy belongs to institutions that are willing to reimagine how they engage their supporters—and who they include. At Giving Architects, we enjoy supporting our clients through this transformation by building strategies that blend technological innovation with relational depth. Whether through co-designed donor experiences, AI-enhanced insights, or culturally grounded case development, our focus remains on integrity-driven growth.

We believe that every institution can become a philanthropic leader—not by following trends, but by actively shaping them. That’s why GA, and GAI, continues to evolve, offering education clients both the strategic intelligence and operational support they need to thrive.

Educational institutions have always played a stabilising role in society. In times of uncertainty, they offer hope, skills, and opportunity. But to fulfil that role, they need sustainable funding models and communities of committed supporters. At GA, we are privileged to partner with institutions doing just that—helping them raise more, with more purpose, and with more confidence.