Donate or stagnate. Jalisco & California can ignite a civic revolution in 2025

In 2024, philanthropy sent a powerful signal: in the United States, total donations reached $592.5 billion, a real growth of 3.3% compared to 2023. The increase was explained by rising stock markets and stronger consumer confidence. The composition shifted as well: individual and corporate giving grew, while foundations remained stable. This “recovery” comes after years of volatility and highlights an opportunity not just to increase the aggregate amount of donations, but to professionalize strategies and broaden the donor base.

California stands as the operational epicenter of this civic engine: more than 31,600 nonprofit organizations operate in the state, employing 1.7 million people. Their health directly impacts both the real economy and local governance. The Californian ecosystem is increasingly professionalized through instruments such as donor-advised funds (DAFs) and community foundations, which accelerate disbursements and channel philanthropic capital into local causes. The lesson for Jalisco is clear: institutional infrastructure combined with fiscal incentives and technology equals greater citizen participation.

On the Mexican side, the 2024 thermometer revealed both capacity and limits. Mexico closed the year with 11,167 authorized charities, nearly two-thirds focused on assistance-related activities. Jalisco alone concentrated around 2.574 billion pesos in tax-deductible donations, placing it among the top three states after Mexico City and Nuevo León. The legal architecture is in place, but mass adoption still requires trust, recurrence, and traceability for every donated peso.

The Jalisco diaspora in California adds another lever: 2024 set a record in remittances to Mexico at $64.745 billion, up 2.3% year-on-year. While remittances are not “donations” in the strict sense, if just 1% of those flows were channeled into community funds with binational governance, more than $647 million could be mobilized for technical education, safe mobility, or preventive healthcare in municipalities of both origin and destination. Designing philanthropic financial products for the diaspora—with tax deductibility in the U.S. and transparent operations in Mexico—is the fastest path to expanding the donor base.

Technology has already proven its ability to “activate” audiences. During the latest GivingTuesday, Americans donated $3.6 billion, up 16% from the previous year, with 18.5 million people participating. Micro-donation platforms, round-ups at retail points, payroll giving, and low-threshold DAFs are reducing barriers to entry. Replicating these practices in Jalisco—through local payment gateways, automated tax receipts, and public impact dashboards—could multiply participation, especially among younger and middle-class donors.

At the same time, 2025 brings regulatory winds that must be carefully considered. In the U.S., the “universal charitable deduction” approved in 2025 will take effect in 2026, allowing deductions for donations even from those who do not itemize. However, the policy comes with floors and caps that could discourage large contributions if not communicated effectively. Organizations must adjust their fiscal messaging and campaign calendars to maximize the incentive and defend deductibility as a pro-community public policy.

What worked in 2024, and where are the binational levers for 2025? First, professionalizing intermediation. Jalisco can turn its community foundations and the state’s co-investment program with civil society organizations into “on-ramps” for recurring donations, with themed calls (water, mental health, road safety) and quarterly goals published on open dashboards. Second, synchronizing the civic calendar across the border: mirrored Jalisco-California campaigns timed with tax seasons, payroll giving in companies with plants in Mexico and operations in the U.S., and corporate matching anchored in industrial parks. Third, governance of data: minimum impact indicators (cost per beneficiary, delivery times, verifiable results) and audits comparable to Californian standards. Fourth, financial innovation: pilot programs for DAFs and community “funds of funds” with clear disbursement rules and binational committees integrating academia, businesses, and local governments.

It is also important to note that the “culture of giving” extends to health. At the Civil Hospitals of Guadalajara, of the 18,786 blood donations recorded in 2024, only 4.3% were altruistic. This gap suggests that donation campaigns—whether for blood, organs, or bone marrow—should be integrated into the philanthropic agenda with the same transparency and technological rigor: digital scheduling, geolocated reminders, and automated certificates of recognition.

My closing assessment for 2025 is this: the challenge is not to “ask for more,” but to design better vehicles for participation. The concentration of giving among a few large donors and the reduced availability of public funds make it essential to build granular trust and simple products. If Jalisco adopts real-time traceability standards and California shares its know-how in fund management and DAFs, the region can pioneer a model of civic philanthropy with three verifiable promises: more small and consistent donors, faster delivery, and stronger evidence of results. The goal is not just a flashy headline but for every person—in San José or Zapotlán—to feel that donating makes a concrete difference this week.

Written by: Editorial

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