By Morgan Roth 

Empathy goes beyond a simple feel-good sentiment. It’s the backbone of a functioning society. America is grappling with a decline in empathy that threatens our social fabric, as genuine human connection gives way to distractions, disconnection and disruption. The deepening of societal divisions challenges our innate capacity for compassion. 

 Yet, philanthropy endures. 

Ours will be the sector that re-establishes empathy and assumes a leadership role as a force for social cohesion.

Philanthropy will no longer remain confined to a wealthy elite but will transform into a shared, lived experience for people across the economic spectrum. This transition will start at the grassroots, connecting families and communities in ways that redefine charitable giving. The future is not about a return to the past; it’s about building a new kind of engagement, where philanthropy breathes life back into compassion and commands meaningful change.

Understanding the path to this point makes clear the urgency of the need for change. Our 2025 landscape is riddled with social media echo chambers, divisive rhetoric, and a relentless news cycle that sensationalizes conflict. The reality is that years of negativity and endless doom-scrolling have left people emotionally desensitized and disconnected. We’ve become numb to suffering that once moved us to act. 

Reversing this trend will not be easy or instantaneous, but it will happen — through deliberate, strategic shifts in how philanthropy reaches families.

The future vision for philanthropy is one that moves away from the current obsession with transformational gifts, which, while impactful, often come at the expense of broad-based engagement. In the relentless chase for massive donations, nonprofits have deprioritized outreach to ordinary families. It’s not enough to solicit funds from the wealthiest. Nonprofit leaders will have to reinvigorate a model that engages families from all walks of life, creating space for small acts of giving that accumulate into significant social impact.

Restoring a cradle-to-grave approach to donor cultivation will be central to this shift. Nonprofits will adopt strategies that invite young people into their causes, not to fill fundraising quotas, but to instill a sense of shared responsibility and purpose that lasts a lifetime. This will be about laying a foundation, beginning in childhood, that makes giving as instinctual as it is rewarding. It will be about embedding philanthropy into the rhythms of life rather than relegating it to occasional gestures.

Organizations will integrate young people into the core of their outreach, providing more than just fundraising opportunities. Families will experience philanthropy as a shared pursuit where volunteering, service projects, and hands-on experiences become natural extensions of daily life. The intention won’t just be to raise a few extra dollars, but to cultivate values that are at risk of being lost amid our hyper-digital, attention-fragmented culture. 

Let’s be realistic. The road to revitalizing this cradle-to-grave mindset won’t be without setbacks. Not everyone will be immediately receptive, and some communities might resist involvement due to deep-seated disillusionment with traditional charities. This won’t deter the sector. It will fuel the determination to break down the barriers that have prevented families from engaging at levels that are meaningful to them. Organizations will evolve their messaging, using stories that demonstrate the impact of dollars donated and the transformational experience of being part of a cause that matters. 

By recognizing and celebrating every contribution — not only financially but through time and effort — nonprofits will communicate that support at any level is valued. The emphasis will shift from what a family can give today to the lifelong relationship they can build with their charity of choice. Highlighting the journeys of supporters who began as children and evolved into adult champions will demonstrate that philanthropy is not a one-off transaction, but an ongoing, enriching part of life.

There is no illusion that empathy will be restored overnight. The current environment has hardened each of us in some way, and it will take time to reintroduce a sense of community-wide compassion. But the philanthropic sector is prepared for this reality, and it will methodically work to restore the connections that have frayed. 

Through patient, persistent efforts, it will rebuild the foundations of empathy, brick by brick. Families and young people, conditioned to see giving as more than an obligation, will recognize the rewards of investing in others as a powerful force for good in their own lives. 

Empathy might be on the decline today, but that won’t be its destiny. The future is set to shift course. It’s a long road ahead, but philanthropy will move forward with eyes wide open, committed to reigniting compassion in ways that last — and matter. 

The journey to reclaim empathy starts now.

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Morgan Roth is chief marketing officer of The Muscular Dystrophy Association.

The post Here’s How Philanthropy Will Fix Declining Empathy appeared first on The NonProfit Times.

Source From Non Profit Times