Generational Shifts in Estate Giving

Personal philanthropy marketing services firm the Stelter Co., which is celebrating its 50th year in business, conducts ongoing research to monitor trends and help nonprofits understand who to better communicate with donors.

Recently, Stelter shared of a few of its findings and created an infographic based on the the generational shifts in the ways people approach giving, particularly in estate giving, it unearthed.

Here are a few of the findings, and be sure to check out the infographic to the right (click to enlarge).

• Donors in their 30s are open to the idea of estate giving but haven't been approached by nonprofits.
• Donors in their 40s show the greatest receptivity to estate giving. They're inclined to draft wills at a much younger age than previous generations — noteworthy because a will is the most common device for making a charitable donation at death.
• Donors in their 50s were the hardest hit by the economy and are lukewarm on estate giving.
• Donors in their 60s are most knowledgeable about estate giving option, but that does't raise interest level.
• Donors in their 70s and older are least interested in estate giving. They are most likely to say their money should go to family and friends.