Study Points to Continued Growth in Giving in 2021 0622HaynesFundRaising The number of donors hit a new high in the first quarter of 2021, according to a new analysis from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, a research effort of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Foundation for Philanthropy and GivingTuesday. Researchers estimated a 10 percent increase in donors during the first three months of 2021 compared with the same time last year. The share of first-time givers increased 3 percent from the same period last year. Coupled with the increased number of new 2020 donors who made repeat gifts in 2021, all donors continued to give more — surpassing 2020’s first-quarter giving by an estimated 6 percent.