Young Donors and Other Mythical Creatures

For many people, some time after their late 50s there's a "perfect storm" for charitable giving. This is the engine that drives almost all nonprofits.

If you track donor performance by age, you find that retention goes up with age. Lock step. Every year they get older, they grow more likely to stay with you. But somewhere after age 90, retention suddenly falls off the table.

It's not that the 90-plus crowd no longer wants to give. I'm sure, given the alternative, that these folks would rather keep on giving. Unfortunately, death catches up with everyone eventually.

And that's where young donors come in. You have to replace your older donors as you lose them.

The secret to success is in how you define "young." Your best bet is people in their 40s and 50s — the older young people (or younger old people). That gives you at least a fighting chance of success.

And that means baby boomers — who now range between their mid-40s and mid-60s.

To reach boomers, you can't be complacent. If you sit back and hope your current messaging will keep on working as the next generation ages, you're in for some unpleasant surprises.

Boomers demand some extra things from the causes they support:

● Specificity and power over how their money is used.

● A high level of professionalism about their data and their privacy.

● Proof that their giving is making the difference you told them it would.

● Open and obvious control over the relationship 
— how often, when and how you communicate 
with them.

(By the way, doing these things will improve your results with the oldest donors, too. It's just that as you approach boomers, it's the price of admission instead of just a good idea.)