Generational Marketing

You can read about generational giving but can understand it only if you lived it. When you have had a lengthy career in the fundraising field, you see generational giving at work. 

In this swipe left/swipe right world, those in the dating scene have learned to make very quick decisions about whom they are interested, often with very little information at the outset. In an instant, they decide to swipe left (delete) or swipe right (connect), deciding if a person is worth getting to know based on a profile picture, a tagline and maybe a few key facts. 

Millennials are changing the face of business and they will change the face of philanthropy — eventually.

Let's highlight each generation and its use of social media. And after sharing some insights, I'll include a pro tip to ensure your nonprofit leverages each generation well.

Here are four tips on how to target the 50-plus audience so you don’t miss out on their valuable donations...

When you think about the list of things Generation X has been excluded from, targeting them for nonprofit donations doesn’t usually come to mind. And yet the generation is being swept to the side by nonprofits more interested in courting their wealthier parents or their younger siblings — the Millennials...

Every nonprofit wants to attract younger donors. That’s why it’s very exciting that monthly giving is so appealing to these younger donors. Why? Because they can support those organizations, they care about in a very easy way with a small amount that absolutely fits their budget...

Technology and more people-centric (i.e., donors and supporters) ways of giving continue to expand, which is essential for nonprofit leaders to understand. For example, people could open a donor-advised fund (DAF) for very little money and give with the ease of tech platforms. Also, leading organizations, such as St. Jude, are reaching out to new audiences, like gamers, because they know they have to meet people where they are, to support a good cause.

What’s a trend that has been popping up on the nonprofit radar as of late? We’ll tell you: personalization. Let’s think realistically—anyone can write a letter or type up an email. The key is not to sound like an automated voice message...

Throughout the last few years, the entire world has been buzzing about the power of story. On the surface, all this conversation makes it seem like we've collectively forgotten the millennia of storytelling sprawled out before us in museums, history books, novels and campfires...