Boomers are turning into their parents

A funny thing is happening to Baby Boomers as they age: They’re turning into their parents.

They now range in age from 50 to 68. They are flooding into the ranks of donors and prospective donors. As they age, they’re experiencing the same set of life stages and challenges that every generation in human history has faced.

The Engage:Boomers blog points out what this means at I’ve Become My Father:

Boomers don’t have to reach 80 to start experiencing age-related changes in vision. Perception of contrast, colors and sharpness of detail affect the ease of reading. Hearing is not what it used to be, either…. The implication here is that clarity trumps cleverness when marketing to this group. Resist the temptation to use trendy design, with type over patterned backgrounds or insufficient contrast between the type and background colors. The same with audio — don’t allow background sounds or music to compete with the spoken words. Be direct, explicit and concrete.

If you’re a fundraiser, the Boomers are a very big deal for you. They are becoming the majority of your audience. They already outnumber the older generation if you look at the 55+ population.

If you want to make the leap from the Silent Generation (basically people now age 69 and up), you need to pay close attention to the ways Boomer are different — and the ways they’re turning into their parents.