Many nonprofits fret over their aging donors worrying that if they don’t act soon, they may not have enough young supporters to replace older ones in the coming years.
But experts say nonprofits can take steps now to ensure they retain their loyal baby-boomer donors while also appealing to Gen Xers and millennials.
The Chronicle spoke with fundraisers trying to strike that balance and researchers who have studied the differences in giving among people of different generations to get their advice. Here’s what they recommend.
Don’t Focus Too Much on Revenue With Millennials.
Young donors often don’t have much to give, and many are also saddled with student debt. That’s why lots of colleges and other nonprofits focus on getting them to make gifts of any size, rather than trying to get large amounts, says Dan Allenby, assistant vice president for annual giving at Boston University.
For colleges, the hope is that young donors will give consistently — even if they give in small amounts, says Mr. Allenby, who founded the Annual Giving Network, which provides tips and resources for colleges seeking small and midsize gifts.
Create Programs and Campaigns That Appeal to Young People.
Many millennial donors prefer fun campaigns that require little money to participate — like giving-day campaigns and crowdfunding, Mr. Allenby says.
In a 2013 Blackbaud study, more millennials and Gen Xers than baby boomers reported joining efforts to raise money from friends, colleagues, and family members on behalf of an organization.
It Helps to Honor Small Donors, too.
Many colleges, including Boston University, have started loyalty programs that honor donors who give year after year — no matter how small their gifts. “That can be really appealing for younger alumni; they are recognized for their support regardless of being able to make big gifts,” Mr. Allenby says.
Boston University captures many young alumni in its three-year-old loyalty program, called the “Loyal Circle.” Members must give to the college for at least two consecutive years, which can include a gift made as a senior, followed by a gift made in the first year after graduation. In 2016, 22 percent of circle members came from the class of 2015.
Build Expertise on Various Communication Channels and Understand Who Uses Each Medium.
One of the best ways to make sure you’re reaching donors of all ages is to communicate in a variety of ways: for example, using social-media posts, text messages, and direct mail, says Gayle Vogel, senior research analyst at Edge Research, who crunched numbers for the Blackbaud study. “In a lot of ways, the same sorts of messages resonate across the generations,” she says. In her view, what’s more important than tailored content is choosing the right medium.
All generations give online, according to the Blackbaud study. Still, more boomers report that they give in response to direct mail, so nonprofits should focus on both online outreach and snail-mail at least for the foreseeable future.
Leaders at Corporate Accountability International try to assess which new communications avenues will be used the most in the next three to five years, so they can try to adopt them. Using less traditional marketing channels, like text messaging, often “opens doors to young people,” but many older donors adopt new forms of communications, too, says Marcia Whitehead, the advocacy group’s development director.
Relationships and In-Person Involvement Appeal to All Ages.
Just because all ages embrace new technology, that doesn’t mean the group is abandoning old-school methods. In Ms. Whitehead’s view, donors of all generations appreciate phone calls and face-to-face interactions with the staff, which help to form close bonds. Staff members try to build relationships with both activists and donors in all sorts of settings, she says, including through individual meetings and advocacy actions like rallies and protests. This kind of “relationship-building occurs with donors young, older, and in between,” she says.
Donors of all ages are attracted to the group’s action league, which gets supporters involved in protests, rallies, and other efforts. “That sense of community is essential — be you 25 or 85,” she says.
Customize Appeals for Young and Old.
Some groups build specific engagement programs aimed at both younger and older generations.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals gets college students and teens involved in activism through its “peta2" program — whose website provides updates on advocacy campaigns oriented toward young people, tips and recipes for vegans, and more.
The peta2 program also has its own Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, with messages tailored to young people.
Supporters can also download a peta2 mobile app, which allows people to join campaigns and view other PETA content on their smartphones. Nearly 80,000 people have downloaded the app.
Although young people do only a small amount of fundraising for the organization, the primary goal of peta2 is to expose them to PETA and get them involved, says Steve Kehrli, vice president of the PETA Foundation. “For us, the key is engagement, getting these people really connected to PETA and the mission,” he says.
The hopes is, as participants in peta2 get older, they will make donations and become members. “We’re building future PETA members and philanthropists down the line,” he says.
For its supporters 50 and older, the organization has a weekly “PETA Prime” newsletter, which features blog posts with information about animal-friendly home and gardening tips, healthy vegan recipes, and news about PETA campaigns, among other items. The project was launched about a decade ago at the request of older donors, says Mr. Kehrli, many of whom noticed that younger people were getting specific content tailored to them: “They saw this program, peta2, and they said, ‘Why do [young people] get a special program? Why don’t we?’ "
The nonprofit makes some effort to get newsletter subscribers to donate: Some blogs featured in the newsletter include information on how to leave a bequest, for example. The program’s annual “Sexiest Vegans Over 50" contest also attracts new supporters when it’s promoted online and through the media. But PETA Prime mostly aims to engage older supporters without bombarding them with fundraising appeals: “It becomes a place that they can rely upon for strong content that speaks to their moment in life.”
Surprisingly, about a quarter of the visitors to the PETA Prime website are under the age of 25, so it appears it has cross-generational appeal. Mr. Kehrli adds: “While we’re producing content that we believe is for the older generation, it does attract the younger generation, which is cool.”
