Feeling the Echo Boom

By Paul Barbagallo

Executive Summary of Gen Y Salvation Army Focus Groups

The following is information gleaned from a focus-group study on Generation Y as donors, done on behalf of The Salvation Army and submitted by Robert A. Bonesteel, financial development director for The Salvation Army Central Territory, which is headquartered in Des Plaines, IL. The study was done as part of a single Midwest marketplace session, and the findings aren’t necessarily indicative of national attitudes.

Lifestyles and Values
The Gen Y’ers interviewed tended to be social, nurturing and affiliative in nature … placing great importance on family and friends. They care about appearances, social status and wearing the “right” brands.

Attitudes Toward Philanthropy and Volunteerism
Surprisingly, the participants were highly involved with charities in their community, with all but one of the panelists being involved in multiple volunteer/donor efforts in the past year. Given that only one market was tested, it remains to be seen if this level of philanthropic commitment is actually typical for this age group. The most popular charities with the group shared certain characteristics:

High Visibility: Many respondents participated in events that were sponsored by large, organized well-known charities. These events tended to have a significant amount of media attention. In many cases, these causes and events were viewed as “trendy” [a challenge for The Salvation Army].

Physically Active or Social in Nature: As mentioned, respondents seemed to gravitate to large, noteworthy events. At these events panelists could socialize and interact with other people in a fun, uplifting environment. These events usually incorporated some type of athletic activity, such as a run or bike ride, that seemed to be particularly appealing to younger people.

Causes Related to Medical Research or Women/Children: The focus on medical research often could be traceable to one’s personal experience — a family member or friend may suffer from the disease. The appeal of women’s and children’s causes may be due to the desire to help those who are perceived as less able to help themselves. Respondents named several key motivations for the specific causes in which they were involved:

Personal Connection: Many times, panelists had a personal experience with the issue — such as a family member being sick — and vowed to help the cause.

To Make a Difference and Feel Good About Themselves: People claimed to have a genuine desire to help others and see the effects of their efforts, and when they did so, they also were able to feel good about themselves.

Approval of Community and Peers: It was apparent that many of the charities supported by panelists came with a “stamp of approval, either from their friends, church, school or employer.” By participating in those charities, they received positive reinforcement and affirmation from peers. Additionally, if their peer groups were also participants, they had the added benefit of enjoying the charity work with friends.

Ease of Getting Involved: If a charity made it easy for them to participate, panelists said they were more likely to do so. Young people were more interested and willing to donate time as opposed to money. At this point in their lives, they reportedly didn’t feel they had much money to give, but they did have time. Most expected this balance to shift as they grew older. Also, many said they truly enjoyed seeing the fruits of their labor when they volunteered with various organizations.

Knowledge and Perceptions of The Salvation Army
Basic awareness of The Salvation Army in St. Louis was strong — everyone knew of the organization — but panelists’ personal exposure to The Salvation Army was usually limited to the Kettle effort at Christmas and the thrift stores.

There was very little knowledge about the specific programs offered by The Salvation Army, yet the panelists all seemed to recognize a portion of The Salvation Army’s key brand identity — helping “the poor and homeless through food, clothing and shelter.”

Key Obstacles
The main obstacles The Salvation Army faced among these young people seemed to be:

Understanding of The Salvation Army: Respondents really did not have a full grasp of the many programs and services offered through The Salvation Army. For example, panelists did not know The Salvation Army offered many programs for women and children.

Exclusive Association with the Homeless: The Salvation Army’s perceived focus on the plight of the poor and homeless did not seem very relevant to this audience. Homelessness was perceived to have been around for a long time and really not “fashionable” nor “curable” — unlike many medical-related causes in which participants were involved.

Outreach to Volunteers: Many panelists did not know how to get involved with The Salvation Army and did not know what opportunities existed. They also had the perception that it was difficult to volunteer. In fact, there was confusion as to who made up The Salvation Army’s base of volunteers.

Personal Relevance: Importantly, young people simply did not see how The Salvation Army was relevant to them. The organization was not perceived as a modern, active charity; instead it was associated with older generations and older donors.

Becoming Relevant
In order for The Salvation Army to become more relevant to Gen Y, the following suggestions were made by the panelists:

Improve Visibility: Many suggested more communication/marketing efforts geared toward young people to increase familiarity with The Salvation Army, with television and the Internet being the most frequently mentioned avenues. Also, they encouraged having more organized community events (particularly those centering on health/well-being) and an increased presence at campuses and business.

Educate People About The Salvation Army Programs: Young people did not have a good understanding of the many programs and benefits (including helping women and children) of The Salvation Army. They needed to be educated to these facets of Army work.

Make a Personal Connection through Success Stories: It seemed that the most compelling way to reach this audience was to make it personal for them. Specific, touching examples of how The Salvation Army had made a difference — especially in the lives of families — could heighten favor toward the organization.

Conduct Special Events Targeting Young People: A major drive or “fun” event with extensive media attention could help make The Salvation Army a more relevant option. Also important to an effort like this would be the backing of corporate America, schools, etc.

Make Association Enjoyable and Social: Volunteers wanted to feel like the time they spent was worthwhile and enjoyable. Many times, the enjoyment aspect came from the camaraderie experienced with other volunteers; in other cases it might be the activity itself, such as an athletic/health event (which was clearly appealing to this young age group). Peer-group involvement was important for the social element.

Make it Easy to Get Involved: This audience did not know how to get involved with The Salvation Army. Efforts must be made to reach these young adults in order to get their participation (i.e. campus sign-up, announcements on student-run radio programs, etc.), and to make it easy for them to participate, especially with fun and meaningful special events and volunteer opportunities.

Generation Y is one of the first population segments that knows the true meaning of instant gratification, according to Kelly Mahoney, president of marketing agency Newport Creative Communications. A three-week fulfillment window as a standard response is not going to help you cultivate a long-term relationship, she explains. Here, Mahoney discusses what Generation Y’ers mean for fundraising.

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Donor Focus: Generation Y