How different generations engage with charities

Understanding your supporters is the first step to connecting with them – whether they’re a donor, volunteer, or campaigner. And while each supporter is an individual, there are generational trends that can steer the way you engage with each group.

 

The high level stats below come from the recent Blackbaud report Charitable support across generations in the UK and Ireland and show how each generation identified themselves against four categories: donate, volunteer, promote and advocate. 

 

 

Gen Z: born between 1997 and 2010

 

Donor: 68%

Volunteer: 50%

Promoter: 38%

Advocate: 33%

 

This group has the lowest rate of donating and typically gives less per donation than other generations – but it’s the generation with the biggest aspiration to increase giving in the next 12 months.

 

Younger people (Gen Zers and Millennials) are more likely to volunteer for charities – around 50%. But the Directory of Social Change reports on the struggle that many charities find recruiting Gen Z volunteers. The British Heart Foundation has a solution – micro volunteering. They’ve seen a rise in the number of younger people working at their charity shops, opting for ad hoc volunteering for an hour or two, rather than established, long-term shift patterns.  

 

As for trustees, less than 3% of charity trustees are under 30 and young trustees are hard to recruit. If you’re looking to find younger trustees, the Young Trustees Movement has lots of helpful information and promotes trustee roles. We also share ideas on how to recruit younger trustees.

 

Finally, Reason Digital explains how this generation values active participation – not just making donations. Gen Zers want opportunities to volunteer and make a tangible difference, and they rate transparency and accountability highly.

 

 

Millennials: born between 1981 and 1996

 

Donor: 78%

Volunteer: 52%

Promoter: 34%

Advocate: 30%

 

Trust is a deciding factor for all generations in whether they support your organisation, but particularly so for Millennials. Their first port of call when researching charitable causes is social media and Millennials (alongside Gen Zers) are those most concerned about how their personal information and privacy is respected. Being transparent and accountable are two ways to build trust, and this will help drive support from every generation. 

 

Millennials want to be thanked for their support. In contrast, many Gen Xers and Boomers say they don’t need a thank you at all. According to Blackbaud: “Millennials are the only age group to rank supporter recognition highly, with 61% of participants in the age group saying that ‘the organisation thanks its donors for their support’ is very important.”

 

Across the generations, emails are a preferred method for saying thank you. We share some other ways to thank your supporters.

 

 

Gen X: born between 1965 and 1980

 

Donor: 79%

Volunteer: 31%

Promoter: 28%

Advocate: 31%

 

Gen Xers are most likely to support health, animal protection, and children’s charities (this is in line with the other three generations). But they are more likely to support environmental organisations than the other generations (with 24% supporting them). This could open up opportunities for environmental charities to target Gen X.

 

In terms of trust, Gen X puts emphasis on researching a charity’s cause through their website, with social media next in line. And when fundraising, Gen X are the generation most likely to support family and friends taking part in fundraising events. 

 

Legacies are also an area to focus on for this generation. Research by Legacy Futures found that Gen Xers are less likely to have made a will than Boomers were at the same age – as people of this generation are reaching traditional adult milestones later than their parents did. With only 31% of Gen Xers having a will in place, there could be opportunity for charities to encourage legacy giving from this generation.

 

 

Boomers: born between 1946 and 1964

 

Donor: 77%

Volunteer: 26%

Promoter: 25%

Advocate: 33%

 

Boomers (and Gen Xers) are most likely to donate regularly through direct debits. But Boomers are also the generation most likely to decrease charitable giving over the next 12 months (21%).

 

When researching your charity, Boomers rank efficiency as a key focus. So it’s worth focusing on the tangible impact their donations and actions can make on your organisation, when finetuning your fundraising comms.

 

And in terms of promotion, Boomers are less likely to promote your cause than other generations. So you may want to investigate new ways to engage them in sharing information about your charity and the good work it does. Research has found that Boomers want to use social media to raise awareness of issues – the Media Trust explains how to connect with older audiences on social media, and we also share some ideas.