Next Generation of Canadian Giving Means Opportunity for Nonprofits

Other key takeaways were:

• The channel through which donors are asked to give (solicitation), and the channel through which they actually make the gift (transaction) may be different. Donors are willing to give using a variety of channels, regardless of how their gift was solicited.
• Similarly, the way that people stay connected to their charity of choice is not solely a matter of how they donate. Many keep in touch in one channel (e.g. mail) but give in another (e.g. website) and want to engage with the charity’s work beyond making a financial gift.
• Personal connections lead to the most donations. The popularity of pledge-event fundraising is based on this factor.
• Monthly giving is common across all generations. The data refuted the commonly-held belief that older donors prefer to give single gifts over monthly gifts. In fact, monthly giving was relatively even across all four groups of donors.
• Social media and mobile phones represent a small portion of current giving — 2.6 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively — but these methods will grow in popularity as younger donors age.

“Our research sheds light on what strategies will be sustainable and fruitful for Canadian nonprofit organizations in the long-term,” said John Willis, director, campaigns & research at Strategic Communications, Inc. “It also serves as a reminder that, as fundraisers, we need to establish an integrated suite of tools and channels to engage people now, and start planning for the future.”