As we found recently in our State of the Leader survey, church giving isn’t exactly keeping up with church needs. The same goes for nonprofits. But why?
Lots of reasons. For one thing, church attendance has not yet caught up to prepandemic levels. There simply aren’t as many people to give. Another factor is that churches no longer enjoy the status of “most trusted charities.” Nonprofits are suffering as well, thanks to economic insecurity and stagnant salaries. People are watching their dollars more closely.
Then there’s generational differences. Boomers check charity ratings before they donate (usually in person or by mail). Gen X has the most disposable income and is comfortable donating in a variety of ways for a variety of causes. And the newest generation of charitable givers on the scene, the millennials and Gen Z, haven’t had as much opportunity to give.
Does the message matter?
What you communicate to potential givers is, of course, very important. But even more important than that is reaching them in the first place.
Your message may not be keeping up for the simple fact that it can’t find its audience.
How can you reach these kids?
Okay, the millennials and Gen Z are hardly kids anymore, and it’s important to stop acting as if they were. Their ways may be different to older church and nonprofit leaders, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take them seriously. Every generation has a different MO, and this youngest one is no different. Here’s what we’ve learned about the giving habits of our younger adults.
- You have to be where they are. These generations are used to being served by the internet. The information comes to them. They don’t need or want to seek it out. So if TikTok is a platform for reaching a motivated audience–and it is–then you need to get on TikTok.
- They trust differently. Boomers need to have accreditation and maybe even to have looked the beneficiary of their largess in the eye. That’s how they establish trust. Millennials and Z rely on a sense of trust just as much, but in a different way. For them, influencers and word of mouth is what guides them to give. An influencer is raising money for a cause, a friend of a friend makes an appeal with a GoFundMe link. Much more than any other generations before them, the young ones can smell inauthenticity a mile away.
- They like to make their money work. Win-win purchases like Bombas socks and Tom’s shoes are what these generations spend their money on. They’re socially aware, so if buying something they need anyway helps them donate to a good cause, they’re all for it. Millennials and Gen Z appreciate that, even when participating in capitalism, they’re helping.
- Experiences matter: These generations want the opportunity to be boots on the ground helping. Writing a check is fine for Boomers and Gen X, but millennials and Gen Z want the chance to participate more.
What’s next?
It’s time to get strategic. You don’t want to put all your eggs in the millennial and Gen Z basket, but a fair third of your eggs deserve to be there.
You should continue to reach out to all ages: The Boomers as they begin to think about legacy giving, Gen X who is enjoying the most disposable income of their lives. But to reach the millennials and Gen Z, and their giving hearts, it might be time to change things up.
