Every generation brings something unique to the table: experience, innovation, passion, and fresh perspectives. For nonprofits, engaging a generationally diverse donor base isn’t just nice to have; it’s essential for growing your organization and serving constituents more effectively.
A donor base that spans multiple generations ensures a steady flow of energy, creativity, and resources to sustain long-term impact. But with each generation’s distinct values, habits, and preferences and communication styles, is it possible to engage one generation without alienating another?
Let’s explore how to engage donors of every age group and build a stronger, more inclusive fundraising model.
Understand Generational Giving Preferences
To know how to ask for donations from different generations, you need to understand their interests and cater to their giving preferences. While not every member of a generation shares the same tendencies, studies have found some trends throughout different age groups.
Gen Z (born 1997-2012)
This generation focuses on impact and hands-on involvement. They are deeply connected to causes they care about and eager to share their affinity for these causes.
Since they grew up with technology, Gen Zers prefer modern, digital-friendly approaches to interacting with nonprofits. This makes online giving opportunities and a social media presence essential for your nonprofit. Peer-to-peer fundraising, in particular, empowers this generation to play a more active role in championing the causes they care about.
Millennials (born 1981-1996)
This group learns from and engages with nonprofits primarily through those organizations’ websites and social media pages. Nonprofits with a strong online presence are well-equipped to influence millennials’ charitable decisions.
Because millennials want to know their real-world impact, they appreciate transparency and storytelling, particularly through client testimonials. Also, this generation prefers contributing consistently over time and is comfortable with subscription-based giving, likely influenced by their familiarity with subscription services like streaming platforms. This makes recurring giving an appealing option. Finally, this generation is likely to be strongly influenced with their peers, especially as they build wealth and have the capacity to make significant charitable contributions, many for the first time in their lives. Demonstrating social proof from peers and influencers about the power and importance of giving goes a long way with millennials.
Generation X (born 1965-1980)
Gen Xers value in-person connections and events. People from this generation can often be found in leadership roles in today’s nonprofits, and serving on boards or committees. They commonly participate in fundraising activities and bring their networks along to support causes.
This generation also excels at volunteering. Gen Xers have the highest formal volunteering rate of all generations, meaning they are much more likely to be interested in volunteering at your events and securing volunteer grants on your behalf. Double the Donation defines volunteer grants as a workplace giving program in which a company will donate to your nonprofit based on the number of hours an employee volunteers.
By encouraging Gen X volunteers to check if their employers offer these programs, you can maximize the impact of the time they dedicate to your organization.
Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964)
Baby boomers value accountability and want to see the impact of their contributions. Regular communication is a must with this generation, as these individuals enjoy being in the loop with frequent updates from the nonprofits they support.
Since baby boomers appreciate transparency regarding an organization’s fund allocation, if you want to target boomers, you should be sure to share your financial documents and annual reports in an easy-to-find location, such as your nonprofit’s website. You might consider investing in direct mail pieces that demonstrate impact as well. Additionally, this generation values a variety of giving methods, making both in-person and online giving methods essential to accommodate their preferences.
Silent Generation (1928-1945)
Members of this generation generally prefer traditional and tangible giving methods, such as writing checks. They often contribute gifts through bequests or legacy giving, focusing on a few charities they feel strongly about.
This generation is also known for its commitment to faith-based giving, with many focusing on religious organizations and charities aligned with their religious beliefs. In terms of communication, they prefer the personal touch of face-to-face interactions, direct mail, and phone calls.
Offer Multiple Fundraising Opportunities and Roles
If you want to target the full generational spectrum of charitable givers, segmentation and customization is essential. Align with each generation’s preferences by offering multiple involvement opportunities and sharing the options most aligned with each person’s likely age-based habits. For example, you might consider hybrid fundraising events that combine in-person and virtual elements, and then more heavily promote the in-person options to older donors, and the online options to younger donors.
Provide multiple payment methods, create participation opportunities beyond donating, and experiment with innovative campaigns. For inspiration, Fundly’s fundraising ideas list recommends fundraising walks, charity auctions, and eCards. Crowdfunding is another recommendation that resonates with multiple generations, allowing your nonprofit to tell beneficiaries’ stories, upload powerful visuals, and share the page on social media to reach a wider audience.
Use a Multichannel Approach
Cater to different communication preferences by combining traditional methods with digital strategies. Some of the most effective nonprofit marketing channels to support your fundraising efforts include:
- Social Media: While these channels are especially effective for millennials and Gen Z, they also provide valuable touchpoints for older generations. Different generations are active on different platforms, though. For example, Gen Z is most active on TikTok and Instagram, while baby boomers prefer Facebook.
- Email: Most people, from Gen Z to the silent generation, use email. Especially with segmentation, email allows for tailored messages that address the unique preferences of different age groups.
- Direct Mail: Holding a piece of physical mail makes it more memorable and impactful, especially with older generations who often trust and value this communication method. Plus, people tend to perceive direct mail as more professional and thoughtful since it takes greater effort and investment.
- Phone: Younger generations prefer texting over phone calls, finding it less intrusive, more familiar, and more convenient. Meanwhile, older generations tend to favor phone calls because they grew up with phone calls as a primary form of communication.
Ultimately, incorporating both offline and digital channels ensures you can connect meaningfully with every generation, meeting them where they are most comfortable and active.
Personalize Your Messaging For Different Generations
Effective communication begins with understanding what drives each generation. Craft appeals that align with their unique values, preferences, and communication styles to foster deeper connections and inspire contributions.
Here are some ways to personalize your fundraising appeals for different generations:
- For millennials and Gen Z: Use storytelling and visual content to highlight impact. Authentic narratives and engaging visuals resonate with these socially conscious and tech-savvy generations.
- For Gen X: Provide concise messaging that emphasizes practicality and results. Show how your programs align with their values and priorities, and offer convenient ways to engage.
- For baby boomers: Exercise transparency and focus on the tangible impact of their contributions. For instance, you might tie your appeals to the results of a needs assessment to demonstrate how donations address constituents’ most pressing needs.
- For the silent generation: Use personal and respectful communication, such as direct mail or phone calls, to highlight long-term impact. Emphasize how their giving supports tradition, values, and causes they care about most, and show how giving to your organization can help them leave a legacy.
Segment your outreach based on donor data to ensure each message resonates with each age group. Use segmented email lists and targeted ad settings to deliver personalized communications that speak directly to each generation’s needs and interests. By addressing these generational preferences, you show donors that your nonprofit values them beyond their financial contributions.
From Boomers to Gen Z, every generation has the potential to fuel your mission in meaningful ways. Continually evolve your fundraising plan based on how your community responds to appeals and the methods you provide. Invite donors from multiple generations into focus groups to learn about their giving priorities and inform your strategic plans moving forward.
In no time, you will create meaningful connections with donors across age groups. A thoughtful, inclusive fundraising strategy ensures your organization thrives while making a lasting impact on the communities you serve.
