The donor pool is aging and changing. With the impending great wealth transfer on the horizon, nonprofit organizations must understand how to engage younger donors, whose communication preferences and technology use have shifted dramatically in recent years.
The good news is that millennials and Gen Z are both interested in philanthropy. Here are some fast facts:
In light of the changing market for donors and the encouraging numbers about the next generation’s interest in philanthropy, here are some tips to help you make the most of your marketing and storytelling.
Millennial, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha donors are aging, and as they do, they’re putting their money where their values are. One of the primary motivations for the next generation of donors is to create meaningful change. They want to be part of making the world a better place, and they’re looking for organizations with creative and compelling ways for them to do so.
Organizations that succeed in getting younger donors involved help those donors tell their own story. With the rise of social media and “personal brands,” more millennials and Gen Zers are interested in aligning their financial decisions with their values, and they’re looking to partner with organizations that make them feel important in the work being done.
The younger generations don’t just want to send you a donation and forget about you until they receive a tax receipt; they want to make you part of their identity. Helping them understand what your organization does and how their help impacts it can bring clarity to how their contributions reflect on them.
A significant piece of the motivation and engagement puzzle is transparency; younger supporters want to know the details of your mission, values, and how the money is being spent.
They crave accountability, preemptive measures to keep vulnerable people safe, and a genuine interest in making the world a better place, starting with any issues that need to be addressed in your organization. It’s better to get any skeletons in your organization’s closet out in the open and help younger donors understand who you were, are, and hope to be up front.
Another motivator for donors? Ways they can be involved beyond a monetary donation. Particularly for younger Gen Zers and some Gen Alphas, they want to start contributing to your organization before they are financially able to do so. Building connections with them at this age and helping them understand how they can get involved now can help you have a more qualified donor base later.
"A typical Gen Zer is a self-driver who deeply cares about others, strives for a diverse community, is highly collaborative and social, values flexibility, relevance, authenticity and non-hierarchical leadership, and, while dismayed about inherited issues like climate change, has a pragmatic attitude about the work that has to be done to address those issues.” – Roberta Katz, senior research scholar at Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS), in her interview with Stanford News.
Even with a changing donor pool, some tried-and-true methods to engage your audience remain the same. Here are a few tips:
We’ve discussed the importance of owning your mistakes, so keep your transparency and advocacy closely linked. Admit your mistakes early and seek to do better in the future.
Giving your audience a chance to get a taste of your mission and how you work is important, and it’s a great way to engage with your supporters throughout the process of nurturing them to donate down the line. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but having more people passionate about your organization is worth it.
Keep your readers informed about volunteer opportunities, ways they can advocate for your organization and its work, and provide avenues for microadvocacy. This can include social posts to share, hashtags to use, or scripts that your supporters can use to call their representatives.
Lead with impact stories and ways that your supporters can get involved. Don’t pull punches in your copy—the attention spans you’re after can’t risk fluff and beating around the bush. Be clear about the ways your supporters can get involved and make your asks and actions for them clear.
Ethical storytelling is an approach to sharing stories and insights from a place of trust, having received consent from all parties, and committing to handling the stories with sensitivity and transparency.
Telling someone’s story, especially if it’s a story from an individual your organization has served, requires care and consideration. Since stories evoke emotions, telling the right story at the right time with the right context can make or break your relationship with a potential donor and with the people you serve.
Our nonnegotiable? Avoid the “flies on eyes” and “trauma porn” that some organizations lean on. Always lead with dignity, and don’t reduce the people or causes you serve to their needs. Find the balance between acknowledging the need and problems your organization faces, and maintaining the dignity, value, and resilience of those you serve.
To make the most of stories in your marketing, follow these steps:
Some stories are better for different seasons. Choose timely stories that align with your fundraising campaigns or calendar events relevant to your organization.
If you’re sharing your stories over video, you don’t need a fancy setup or the best equipment. Even a video taken in selfie mode on your phone with a real, personal message can make an impact on your audience. When you write stories out, choose your words carefully, always to highlight the dignity and value of those you serve.
Use stories across your marketing, from your blog to your social media posts. Chances are, your supporters won’t see every single instance of where you post the story, so spreading it out across your content marketing calendar and across platforms is a good way to reach your audience in different places.
Ensure the stories are personal enough to impact your audience, whether you share about a family similar to theirs or appeal to the emotions common to all of us. Making your stories resonate with potential donors is a great way for them to feel a sense of connection to your work.
Storytelling can create emotional connections and buy-in that inspires action from your donors. Whether you’re asking people to donate, volunteer, or share your post, compelling storytelling can help you connect with your audience beyond the ask.
At Novus, we know that today’s donor landscape is changing—and effective storytelling is the key to connecting with the next generation of philanthropists. From crafting compelling impact stories to developing multi-channel campaigns that inspire action, we help nonprofits like yours build lasting relationships with younger donors.
Whether you need help shaping your messaging, creating a content strategy, or elevating your brand identity, we’d love to work alongside you to tell stories that resonate, inspire, and convert.
Ready to engage the next generation of donors? Connect with us today!
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