Hurricane season in the U.S. runs from June through November. As we enter that season, we wanted to ask ourselves how these high-profile disasters will shape donor priorities. Do people shift their giving to emergency relief efforts? Does support for other causes slow down?
We’re sharing insights from a study we conducted to help national organizations understand what they might expect when disaster strikes, and how to prepare for potential shifts in donor behavior.
The Big Question
Natural disasters dominate headlines. And with today’s always-on media landscape, hurricanes spark rapid, widespread attention. That kind of visibility naturally leads to an influx of donations for emergency response efforts.
But what about organizations that aren’t involved in disaster relief? Do they lose momentum in the weeks that follow? That was the heart of our question.
How We Looked at the Data
We reviewed giving trends across national organizations—those that are emergency-focused and those that are not—over the past 20 years, encompassing 10 major U.S. hurricanes. These storms (like Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, and Ian) each had over 100 fatalities and caused at least $1 billion in damage.
To analyze the impact, we compared giving in the three months following each hurricane to the three months preceding it, and then examined the same window the previous year to control for typical seasonal trends. This helped us see whether these storms caused any meaningful shifts in giving behavior.
What We Learned
Emergency Response Organizations
Organizations directly responding to the disaster saw a clear spike in giving, especially from new donors. But it wasn’t consistent across all emergency-focused groups. One organization, whose work primarily focuses on international crises, actually saw a dip in its activity during U.S. hurricanes. It’s likely their usual emergency donors simply shifted support to domestic response efforts at that moment.
Non-Emergency Organizations
Here’s where the story gets interesting. For most national nonprofits not involved in disaster relief, hurricanes didn’t appear to significantly affect giving.
Even in storm years, overall gifts and revenue generally followed the same upward trends typical of the fall fundraising season. That makes sense: most large storms hit in August and September, landing just before year-end giving ramps up. And many donors remain committed to their favorite causes despite other events.
Still, there were a few exceptions. After large-scale disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Harvey-Irma-Maria trio in 2017, some organizations saw a temporary slowdown in giving growth. Not a full reversal, but a noticeable dip in momentum, especially in acquiring new donors. It seems that when a disaster reaches a certain scale of devastation and national attention, it may temporarily redirect new donor attention, even if existing donors stay loyal.
So, What Should You Expect This Season?
If you’re a national nonprofit outside the emergency response space, most hurricanes likely won’t derail your fundraising, but it’s smart to be aware of potential short-term shifts, especially in new donor acquisition.
In a digital-first world, donor behavior is more reactive. Big stories can drive immediate giving, but they don’t usually displace long-term loyalty. And while a high-profile storm might slow your momentum for a few weeks, most organizations bounce back quickly as the giving season progresses.
The key takeaway is this: hurricanes shift attention, but not necessarily allegiance. Most national organizations weather the storm just fine.
