Most donors want more information from their preferred nonprofits, whether via social media channels or email. Just as nonprofits seek monthly sustainer revenue, donors welcome monthly updates on a nonprofit’s activities, such as campaign updates, donor impact or other relevant information. Given the increasingly visual-oriented nature of people, short, pithy quotes, images and videos are especially welcome.

Across generations, individuals who made financial contributions to nonprofits are more-or-less equally likely to have donated in-kind items, such as clothing or food, with 69.9% having done so, according to the second volume of The Generational Giving Report, a new study from Bloomerang’s online fundraising platform Qgiv.

In-kind donations were the most popular non-cash actions among all respondents, followed by volunteering time (41.4%), sharing a nonprofit’s social media posts (39.8%) or encouraging family members or friends to get involved with a local nonprofit (35.6%), although within the latter categories there were more significant generational disparities.

There were other relative similarities between the generations, which are defined in the study as Generation Z (donors born between 1997 and 2012 — while the cohort includes younger people, those younger than 18 were excluded from the study); Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996); Gen X (born between 1965 and 1980); and Baby Boomers (1946-1964). The study folded responses of those born before 1946 into Baby Boomer responses, as there were too few “Silent Generation” respondents to allow for a separate category.

Overall, 85% of respondents research nonprofits by visiting a website and 70% review an organization’s social media presences before giving gifts. More than four in 10 (44%) who stopped donating indicated they no longer trusted their donations were being used wisely, while 39% no longer felt connected to nonprofits they had previously supported.

Donors would prefer messaging with a better balance than what they have experienced regarding asks for funds and providing information. In addition to these similarities, the report notes key differences between generations in the way members of each interact with nonprofits. For instance:

Generation Z donors are least likely to opt into receiving email updates from their nonprofits of choice, with only 52% doing so, compared to 61% among the other generational cohorts. The report authors recommend strong asks to subscribe to updates, as well as making sure all communication channels are content rich.

Gen Z donors should also be invited to in-person fundraising events, even if their demonstrated or immediate potential giving patterns would normally cause them to be excluded. While they might not have the personal wealth to donate, they are more likely to embrace peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities, which boost their value to an organization.

Millennials, who are entering into their prime income and wealth years, welcome opportunities to break larger gifts down into smaller payments throughout a year. This generation has grown up with a variety of goods and services being purchased on a subscription basis and is very receptive to a variety of repeat donation options.

Impact stories aimed at this generation are effective when they highlight the role Millennials, especially volunteers, have played in an organization’s well-being. They have grown up being highlighted by their parents (and themselves) in communications and expect to see that tendency reflected in organizations wishing to reach them. Along with their younger cohorts, this generation also places a premium on strong, current and engaging online presences, and will be turned off to organizations that appear to be neglecting their digital channels.

Generation X donors are seeking to make a difference in leadership roles, such as on committees or boards, and even without taking top position Gen Xers are most likely to want to volunteer, especially if they believe their individual efforts have an impact. Given the likelihood they have amassed wealth, they are strong candidates for urgent-need pitches, as they have more readily available cash. Surprisingly enough, this generation trails only Generation Z in its willingness to use digital wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Venmo to make contributions.

Baby Boomer donors are least likely to cite not trusting their donations are being used wisely as a reason for discontinuing donating; they have had a chance to establish relationships with their preferred nonprofits, and likely have longer histories of trusting them. That said, the, along with Gen Xers, are most likely to indicate they stopped making donations because they no longer felt connected to a given nonprofit.

Fundraisers can reassure these donors of leadership’s financial stewardship by having easily accessible financial documents ready for review on their websites. Like other potential funders, these donors like hearing stories. But the stories do not have to be about people such as themselves. Insight into how their donations are having an impact are welcomed by this group. This group is also generation Facebook: In addition to Pinterest and TikTok efforts aimed at younger funders, nonprofit communication and development staff members should not neglect the value of Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild.

The study is based on interviews with more than 900 people who had either made a charitable donation or supported a nonprofit in non-financial ways during the past year. A full copy of the study is available here:  https://bloomerang.co/guide/generational-giving-report/

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Source From Non Profit Times