As older donors make larger and more numerous gifts to charity,it makes sense to focus development efforts on baby boomers and “mature” donors. However, your nonprofit can’t afford to ignore younger generations. As a recent study found, Generations X (born from 1965 through 1980) and Y (born after 1980) now represent more than half of the pool of charitable donors. But their interests, communication preferences and giving methods may differ from those of your older supporters. How do you attract young donors?
Stay Relevant
If your nonprofit’s website is the extent of your online presence, you probably aren’t doing enough to reach a younger audience. These days, having a Facebook page and Twitter account are de rigueur for charities. And given how quickly the social media landscape changes, you’ll also want to keep an eye on new platforms such as Tumblr and Google+ to see if your supporters are beginning to adopt them.
The key to using social media successfully is to offer something more than just office news or event notices. Give your followers items they’ll want to post on their own sites and forward to their friends — including photos, article links, interesting facts, even jokes (as long as they’re tasteful, of course). Or organize a cocktail party or other impromptu social event using Twitter or text messages.
Volunteer opportunities are also important to younger supporters — particularly when they’re just starting out and are short on cash. Consider establishing a program such as the United Way’s NextGen, which offers people in their 20s and 30s an opportunity to volunteer, get to know their community and meet like-minded peers.
Other ways to attract Generation X and Y include:
Using multiple channels to communicate, including snail mail, e-mail, social networks, your website, phone calls and text messages.
- Establishing a junior board of directors or reserving spots on your regular board for young professionals.
- Offering lower-priced event tickets and other discounts to encourage recent college graduates to participate.
- Creating a young donors fund or fundraising pool with smaller minimum contributions.
Of course, even those within the same age demographic will have different interests and preferences. To ensure you’re using your resources effectively, conduct surveys and other research to learn as much as you can about your audience. Although you may need to change some of your practices to attract these groups, most changes will be simple and inexpensive.
