Rural Communities Are Not “Dying” — They’re Rich With Assets.
It’s Time Our Fundraising Reflected That.
A companion piece to the January 2026 episode of the A Legacy of Generosity podcast
For years, rural communities have been described through the lens of what’s missing: fewer people, fewer jobs, fewer resources, fewer young families returning home. It’s a story that has been told so often that many fundraisers and nonprofit leaders unintentionally absorb it into their own work.
But as we talked about in our recent A Legacy of Generosity podcast episode, that deficit-based story simply isn’t true.
Not only is it inaccurate—it is actively hurting rural philanthropy.
When we rely on scarcity narratives (“no one here has the capacity to give,” “we don’t have wealth anymore,” “everyone who could give has left”), we shrink our vision, limit our strategies, and overlook the very people most capable of transforming their communities.
The truth is this:
Rural communities are wealthy—not just in dollars, but in assets, relationships, generosity, and shared history.
Our job as fundraisers is to help people see that abundance, claim it, and invest it back into the place they call home.
The Numbers Are Clear: Rural Communities Hold More Wealth Than We Think
As rural sociologist Ben Winchester shared in the podcast, rural Minnesota has experienced astonishing growth in wealth in recent years. In fact, the most rural counties saw the highest increases—some as high as 60–70% over just three years.
This trend aligns with what we see every day at Growth By Design in our work with small towns and rural nonprofits:
Family farmland that has appreciated dramatically
Retirement accounts that have grown substantially
Local businesses generating significant community wealth
People who may not see themselves as “wealthy,” yet hold real, meaningful assets
And yet, these same communities regularly say to us:
“We don’t have wealthy donors here.”
It’s simply not true.
As Ben put it perfectly in the episode:
“Do not let the big T distract you from the little m. The millions matter. They change communities.”
Even modest levels of wealth—spread across many households—can create endowments, fund capital projects, stabilize nonprofits, and ensure a brighter future.
The Real Issue Isn’t Wealth — It’s Our Narrative
One of the most powerful insights from mine and Camille’s conversation with Ben and estate attorney Janel Fredericksen is that people in rural communities often don’t see themselves as wealthy, even when the data shows they are.
When people don’t see themselves as wealthy, they don’t see themselves as philanthropists.
That’s where the asset-based mindset comes in.
Deficit Mindset
• “Everyone with money moved away.”
• “We can’t raise much here.”
• “Our community is declining.”
Asset-Based Mindset
• “We have deep generational wealth.”
• “Local generosity is powerful.”
• “Our community creates — and keeps — its own future.”
Lessons From Recent Rural Clients
Our work with organizations like West Central Initiative, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), La Crescent Animal Rescue, and other rural nonprofits over this last year has reinforced something we already believed:
Rural communities have extraordinary generosity and deep emotional ties to their local institutions.
Here’s what we’ve seen across projects:
People give where they feel connected.
Community pride is an untapped asset.
Rural donors value clarity and simplicity.
Planned giving is a huge, underutilized opportunity.
When nonprofits tell their story boldly, donors show up.
As Janel emphasized, most estate planning happens in private offices—not in nonprofit donor meetings. If rural organizations don’t have some kind of presence in those conversations (even with just clear marketing materials), wealth leaves the community by default, not by choice.
Capturing Just 5% Could Change Everything
Ben shared a powerful statistic during our discussion:
If rural communities captured just 5% of the wealth transferring in the next decade, they could completely reshape their futures.
Imagine:
Stable operating funds for local nonprofits
Endowments supporting services year after year
Capital projects that strengthen the entire community
Local control of wealth instead of it flowing out-of-state
This is not wishful thinking.
This is strategic, intentional, community-rooted philanthropy.
What Rural Nonprofits Can Do Right Now
1. Adopt an abundance mindset.
Stop assuming you need alumni from afar to save your project. Start by looking at the wealth right in your own ZIP code.
2. Build relationships early, often, and deeply.
As Janel reminded us:
Estate conversations happen late—but relationships must begin early.
3. Tell your stories boldly and repeatedly.
Make it easy for estate attorneys, wealth advisors, and community champions to point donors your way.
4. Put clear, simple planned giving info on your website.
People cannot give to you in their wills if they can’t find your EIN number or sample bequest language.
5. Engage the next generation now.
Small monthly gifts build habits—and habits become legacies.
The Future of Rural Philanthropy Is Local, Abundant, and Hopeful
The narrative about rural communities is changing—and we need to be the ones telling the story.
The story of resilience.
The story of generosity.
The story of wealth that was built here and can stay here.
The story of communities investing in themselves.
The story of what’s possible when we stop focusing on what we’ve lost and start celebrating what we have.
Our rural communities are not dying.
They are evolving.
They are rich with assets.
And they are ready for a bold new chapter of philanthropy.
