Young Donors and Other Mythical Creatures

But the reality is this: Getting and cultivating young donors is kind of like shoveling mercury with a pitchfork.

The reason young people aren't a meaningful part of the pool of donors is not their incomes. It's their brains. Young brains are innately more self-focused than older brains. Want evidence? Argue with a teenager. (Please note that I'm not saying young people are immoral or lacking in character. They just don't give often or in a sustained way. Their good deeds are more typically in the form of volunteerism and other direct action.)