Donor Giving Trends for Today and Tomorrow, Part 1

To capitalize on the prolific baby boomer generation, that's where fundraisers should be focusing the majority of their attention. Boomers are the prime candidates for major gifts, volunteering, planned gifts, monthly giving and even cultivating for bequests.

At the same time, fundraisers cannot afford to ignore Generations X and Y. In order to gain the advantage and build those relationships with the smaller Gen X, organizations must build relationships with them now. Get them involved with your mission, and communicate with them regularly. Those who do will have the competitive advantage when they begin to take over where the boomers are now.

As for Generation Y, you should be cultivating your strategy for engaging them today so they become donors in the future. As Hoyt noted, the longer a donor has a relationship with an organization, the more likely she is to provide major and planned gifts.

"Think really hard about how to engage younger donors so they're ready to go with us and give when the time comes for them to give," she said.