Conference Roundup: The Today and Tomorrow of Fundraising

Unlike their older counterparts, he said, baby boomers give because they believe in a cause, rather than out of a sense of obligation. And they can be reached both by mail and e-mail.

Finally, there are those “Internet-immersed folks” who are younger than the boomers — Gen X, Y and the Millennials.

“These folks are never going to evolve into the … philanthropic values of their parents,” O’Brien said. “Duty? Forget it. Relevance? To a degree. But the real watchword for these donors is excitement. They are used to having the world at their fingertips and to reacting in the moment to whatever is in front of them.