A Connected Cause: Today's Supporters and the Organizations Poised to Connect with Them
We're hosting a webinar with Rachel Hutchisson, Blackbaud Vice President of Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy and Blackbaud Institute Senior Advisor, on October 27 for a conversation about the state of giving and perspectives on the future of generosity aimed at helping to provide clarity and inspiration about our collective goal of advancing social good in a complex world. A corporate social responsibility professional, Rachel has worked at the intersection of business and nonprofits for almost 30 years, providing her a unique view of the Ecosystem of Good of which we are all a part. Learn more and save your seat.
As nonprofit supporters grow accustomed to rapidly evolving engagement tactics and sophisticated channel options in their day-to-day life, the pressure on social good organizations to keep up with the fast pace of change has left many reeling. You may be overwhelmed or unsure where to dedicate your valuable time and resources as a nonprofit professional amid the excess of options.
How do you sort through it all? A valuable place to start when evaluating your own efforts is demographics. We cannot deny that values, life experiences, and income level can play a role in one’s preferences, so deepening our understanding of our own supporters will allow us to also predict the most effective stewardship tactics. One key factor that is relevant across all types of organizations is age. Your most valuable supporters are likely to follow patterns reflected by their generational peers.
At the Blackbaud Institute, we set out to understand how giving has evolved over time through a series of studies. We first produced the Next Generation of Giving in 2010, then again in 2013 and 2018. We wanted to monitor shifting giving patterns in generational cohorts to understand how much of a factor age was in determining their likelihood to engage through certain channels and tactics, as well as their likelihood to ultimately donate.
One of the most exciting findings was the sheer generosity exhibited by all age groups. There is a real desire to not only give, but to get directly involved with the causes they care about. Beyond that universal dedication to giving back, however, the curved distribution of giving among these age groups highlights some major differences.
The traditional donors of yesterday and today are still going to make up a significant portion of our individual funding portfolio for the foreseeable future. While Gen X is certainly on deck, we should maximize stewardship activities that bridge the most influential tactics for Boomers and Gen Xers, many of which have also shown to be acceptable by the younger Millennial and Gen Z cohorts.
And, while these findings offer a useful roadmap for aligning spending to realize the greatest ROI, do not forget that these tactics are not a silver bullet. Younger generations, while not yet a significant source of revenue, are shifting the engagement and advocacy landscape in dramatic ways. We must remain agile and stay aware of the changing landscape to ensure our funding streams don’t get stuck in the past. We can take a page from the companies that have harnessed the energy of these groups in the consumer market. Millennials and Gen Zers are showing their ability to bring their “whole selves” to all aspects of their lives – from their choice in workplace, to social media advocacy, to purchasing decisions, and volunteerism. We should meet them where they are and allow them to drive their engagement journey, which may mean loosening the reins on some of our traditional ideas of branding and messaging.
Finally, we cannot ignore digital as a driving force in these changes. The landscape now allows for instant gratification in any experience. Supporters should be able to “subscribe” to organizations through sustained giving programs like they do in their consumer lives to services like Netflix. They should be able to easily research and visually understand the impact you have towards the social causes they care about. And they should be able to find clear ways to be actively involved – either through word of mouth on social, signing a petition in protest, or showing up in person to volunteer.
One of the most exciting aspects of this shift is that constituents are showing us just how much energy they have to engage with our missions. It’s up to us to harness that!
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