How Iconic Charities Are Trying to Win Over Millennial Donors

Some of the country's most iconic nonprofits have struggled to raise money in the past few years, while a new breed of philanthropic organization is thriving thanks in large part to its appeal to Millennial donors. While the American Red Cross ran an operating deficit after its worst fundraising year in over a decade in fiscal 2015, ended last June, Charity: Water reported its best year ever in 2014, raising more than $27.9 million for clean water. And its donations have increased each year since its founding in 2006.

Previous generations of donors made it easy for big nonprofit organizations to rely on mass marketing, workplace collection and brand loyalty to meet their fundraising goals.