So, you want to acquire some younger donors?
That reminds me of one my favorite commercials from Little Caesar’s Pizza. The setting is a focus group facility and the voiceover says:
At Little Caesar’s Pizza, we focused group every man, woman and child in America. And the results are unanimous: Everyone wants more pepperoni and more cheese on their pizza.
Similarly, every organization wants younger donors.
But there is a disconnect.
It seems like every time I am in a client meeting when this is being discussed, the room is filled with people like me: middle-aged (I am being gracious here), white baby-boomers. Rarely is there anyone around the decision-making table that is anywhere near the target age group. Of course we cannot discriminate on the basis of age, but we can work toward making sure some of these bright, energized young people have a voice at the leadership level.
So, here’s a suggestion: If you are really serious about acquiring younger donors, hire some of them. Put them in leadership roles.
Too often, bright young minds come to work at a nonprofit organization (or their agency, for that matter) and end up being given only intern-level responsibilities. They quickly get bored and move on, never really feeling like they contributed to the organization.
It has always fascinated me how we are quick to place young people in leadership roles on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, but rarely are they allowed access to our boardrooms.
Newsflash! Us old-timers aren’t going to crack the code for acquiring younger donors. Our playbook is too old and we do not speak the native language. Hire a sharp 20-something, give her a goal and a budget, and turn her loose.
You might just start acquiring some younger donors.
Tags: little caesar's pizza, young donors, younger donors, younger people
May 11th, 2010 at 9:52 am
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May 16th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
[...] Bill Jacobs addresses the other end of the generational spectrum in Want to attract younger donors? Hire younger people. [...]
May 17th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
[...] recently came across a brief article by Bill Jacobs called ‘Want to Attract Young Donors? Hire Younger People’, and felt like sharing it with my readers. I usually focus on volunteering, but I think that this [...]
May 17th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
Great article. I really appreciate that you've recognized our generation as something more meaningful.. I've written a small piece about it here: http://giveandgetnyc.com/openforum/archives/748 Thanks again – Rachel
May 18th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
You Don’t Have to Be Jewish to Love This Campaign
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/business/medi…
“In an effort to get close to younger potential donors, a philanthropic organization is seeking to take the “ish” from “Jewish” and turn it into an expression of its own.”
“There are three agencies, including the New York office of Taxi, the unconventional Canadian shop. The budget to develop and promote the campaign is being estimated at $250,000 to $300,000.”
Doesn't seem like they're following your advice.
May 18th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
One of the ways for young professionals to develop their leadership skills is by volunteering to take the lead on a non-profit's workplace giving campaign, such as the Combined Federal Campaign. Workplace giving is still the only method of non-profit fundraising that is subsidized, high leverage and low risk.
Regards,
Bill Huddleston
The CFC coach
BllHuddleston1 at gmail dot com
Send me an e-mail with “leadership” in the subject line and I'll send you my article about the many leadership development opportunities that workplace givng presents. The opening line is “Did you learn to swim by reading a book?”
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:59 am
Fantastic article. Often than not, the means of communicating effectively to an audience is lost in the generation gap. Although it's not always the case but generally the older generation doesn't quite have the knack of gaining the best responses from the young generation.
But for young person in that generation it is a much simpler thing to do. They understand what young donors are like. They understand their needs, their desires, their fears. They understand how best to get the most positive response from them. They also know how to reach these potential donors. What advertisements and marketing methods they will be most exposed to!
And they obviously know all this because they are a part of that group. They live in the same social circles, and experience and are exposed to the same things.
So I have to say that you have a really great idea here. Thanks for the great article!