The answer, according to a recent Campbell & Co. study, is TRUE. Eighty-percent of its Millennial respondents participate in charitable giving. The report also dispels the myth that my peers and I are less generous than older generations when it comes to giving.
“Factors such as education, income level and frequency of church attendance -- not age -- account for the differences between generations in how much and how often people give to charities the study concluded.”That’s great news for non-profits! The challenge, then, becomes communicating with potential Millennial donors in a way we will hear, understand and want to be a part of. Too often well-intentioned messaging gets lost in translation.
-Western Michigan Business Review article
http://www.mlive.com/businessreview/western/index.ssf/2008/06/study_millennials_just_as_will.html
"It's like any other transition -- foundations and philanthropic organizations need to think about what issues are important to those donors and how they want to be communicated with and all of the other complexities that go into their fund raising. The needs of the market are changing. Organizations are having to adapt to that change and the way they raise funds."So, what motivates Millennials to give? “A desire to make the world a better place,” the report finds.
-Maria Gajewski, researcher with the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University, as quoted in the Western Michigan Business Review
1 comment:
That's certainly what motivates me to give (a desire to make the world a better place). I'm 23 years old and give regularly to various non-profits - a couple that fight abortion, one that helps get homeless people back on their feet, one that helps people overcome drug and alcohol addictions, one that fights hunger around the world. I think one defining characteristic of me and my friends is a desire to see our money being used to help people. Whereas my parents and grandparents are content to just write a check to their church without really thinking about where it goes, we research places we donate to - and we don't buy into the storehouse tithing idea (that you must give just to the church). I think it's more biblical to give to the organization that's wrapping their arms around pregnant teens and helping them navigate a dark path toward the light, rather than giving to the church that just wants to expand its sanctuary. I think people my age want to help bring about change in the world - sure, we can be superficial and selfish and naive, but we can also be extremely empathetic and self-sacrificing.
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