Category: Demographics
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How to get Millennial-aged donors to respond
Every donor file I’ve ever looked at has Millennials in it. Not a lot of them — usually 5% to 10% of all the donors. They’ve been on the file whether the organization was trying to get Millennials or not (and most were not trying). How did they get there? By not acting like Millennials.…
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Changes in the human brain that make fundraising hard to do
Probably the biggest barrier to creating effective fundraising is that you have to get outside your own mind. You have to get a sense of how your message will play to someone else — someone who is very different from you. The part that really trips up the most people is the way aging changes…
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Smart fundraisers are joining the “yold rush”
This is an important decade for fundraisers, because it is a peak time for the yold, — that is, the “young old,” as the Japanese call people between 65 and 75. Read about this amazing group of people in The Economist, at The decade of the “young old” begins. Yold is a life-stage, not a…
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Bye! Boomer donors are now in decline
We knew it had to happen, but it’s shocking nevertheless: Boomers have hit their peak. It’s all downhill from now. In 2019, the youngest Boomers entered their prime donor years — they turned 55. In 2019, the 55-to-85 population of the US was made up of 79% Boomers (born 1946-1964) and 21% Silent Generation (born…
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How to connect with the army of Boomers who want to change the world
Boomers now range in age from 55 to 73. They are pouring into the donor demographic, become more critical to fundraisers every day. What does that mean for us? The Engage:Boomers blog says it means we’d better start telling Boomers more stories if we want to motivate them to action: Do You Have A Story…
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Are your female donors 2nd-class citizens?
It’s amazing how often I see this: A nonprofit researches their donors (smart move), and gets a bunch of demographic statistics. Almost always, there’s a surprise stat. It looks like this: 68% of our donors are male It’s a surprise, because it’s probably not true. Women commandingly outnumber men among donors. About two to one.…
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3 ways to connect with older donors
There’s a reason the average age of donors is so old. And it’s not because fundraising is too corny for younger people It’s because of the way older people are. They are different. Their lives and the way they think and behave are different. (Don’t worry, you’ll be like them eventually!) This should be behind…
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How to beat the fundraising “Millennial gold rush”
Mention Millennials (those born 1981-1995), and a lot of people in fundraising swoon. Like they’re basically a gold mine we can walk into and start grabbing nuggets any time we want. If that’s what you think, please think again. And while you’re doing that, read The Millennial Myth at The Agitator. Next year, Millennials will…
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3 unimportant facts about Millennials (and one that may be HUGE)
Did I hear someone say “We’ve got to get Millennial donors” again? Yes, I did. Just about daily. It’s not a very smart strategy. And The Agitator is getting annoyed by it too, as in this post: Get Your Millennial Audience Off My Lawn, Part 2. The post cites some findings from recent studies: Millennials…
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How donors are different from you, and why it matters
Awhile back, my daughter (a college student), sent a short thank-you note to my godmother (a lady in her 70s). Within minutes of receiving it, my godmother called me. She gushed and gushed at the wonder of it. She told me, among other things, that it “brought sunshine into my home.” (She talks that way.)…