Next generation of American giving

Originally posted on community.npowerseattle.org/npowering on March 18th, 2011.

A few weeks back I listened in on a BoardSource webinar titled “The Next Generation of American Giving” that outlined the differences in giving and communication preferences by generation. For the most part, the material shared didn’t surprise me too much, but helped remind me of some best practices, and the importance of centering communications around what donors and supporters want versus what is most convenient for our organization.

The generational differences were predictable:

• · Matures and Boomers give more often and contribute higher dollar amounts than Gen X and Y-ers, and also contribute to fewer organizations.
• · In contrast, Gen X and Y give less and their gifts are spread across several charities. They often give in a reactionary way, such as a response to a natural disaster. Their communication is more fragmented across several channels and heavily influenced by social media.

The webinar hosts encouraged a multi-channel approach to communications and fundraising, stressing that direct mail is not dead quite yet, although it may not be that long until we see it phased out. It is estimated that mobile phones will be the primary way that individuals access the internet as early as 2020, and that, while it is not yet prevalent outside of disaster fundraising, text-to-give technologies are the wave of the future.

Key Point: Regardless of the trends, it is important to analyze your organization’s base of supporters to determine communication channels based on where your constituents are spending their time.

Shameless self-promotion before closing: NPower offers services to help you build upon and improve your existing communications. Check out our website to learn how we can help you incorporate web-based tools into your comprehensive communications plan. If you need a strategy to track your constituents and manage relationships, we can show you how CRM implementation can make your job a lot easier.

The BoardSource webinar closed with four main themes to keep in mind when planning your communications:

1) Mobile – We are living in a culture with an on-the-go mentality and should consider that when approaching how we communicate internally and externally. Putting tools in place to allow staff to work from anywhere is just as important as being able to reach your donors wherever they are.

2) Social – Social media has enabled us to spread our message to a broad audience in a quick and easy manner. But it’s called social media for a reason. Encouraging interactivity through Facebook and Twitter is a great way to engage donors and volunteers, let them know that their support matters, and their input is heard.

3) Consistent – The webinar hosts shared some staggering statistics on the turnover in the sector. It can be detrimental when a staff member with years of institutional memory walks away, so it is imperative to develop a system to document all steps of the relationship-building process so all will not be lost if a particular staffer decides to leave the organization.

4) Transparent – There are thousands of nonprofits out there that foundations, corporations, and individuals can choose to support. People want to know that their contribution will be used in the way that you say it will. Being open and honest with donors is a great way to build up trust and the credibility of your organization.