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Get Specific to Engage Next-Generation Donors

When it comes to courting young donors, it’s all in the details.

That’s one of the key findings from a recent survey conducted by Achieve and partner firm JGA (Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates). Furthermore, the results also suggest that a broad appeal for funds will leave many young potential donors looking for other giving opportunities.

Over the past three months, Achieve and JGA surveyed donors between the ages of 22 and 40 about their philanthropic giving, communication and relationship preferences. While Achieve and JGA will unveil the complete results of the survey next month, some preliminary findings merit special attention – most notably, the data suggesting that more than 53% of donors in this age category will support only those organizations that provide specific information about where a donation is going. In addition, it should be noted that more than 52% of these donors said they will not respond to general requests for support.

What does this mean for organizations? If you intend to court next-generation donors, you’ll need to let them know what you plan to do with their resources before you receive them. Fail to provide this clarity and they’ll move on to organizations that make clear and concise appeals and include a specific call for action.

So how should you respond to this information? Here are some helpful hints:

Prime Young Donors Before an Ask
Before asking these donors for money, send them clear messages with real stories about the beneficiaries of your programs and services, including photos and videos when possible. Utilize email, Twitter, Facebook and other social media and website applications to profile the people you serve and to show the impact of the dollars supplied by donors. Provide an opportunity for younger donors to interact with a beneficiary at an event, or even through technology (webcast/Twitter feeds and your Facebook fan page).

Create ‘Practice Giving’ Opportunities
Work with a major donor to provide seed money for a campaign targeted toward prospective donors age 22-40. Allow the younger donors to direct the seed money to a particular project or program, and then continue the education process by providing beneficiary stories reflecting the impact of the gift. This allows the young donors to draw a direct correlation between their “giving” and specific outcomes.

Open the Door to Conversations with Leadership
Create an opportunity for young donors to communicate with the executive director, development director or board chair about the organization and the way it uses donated money. Provide an open line of communication for donors to ask questions or offer suggestions about the support they might give to an organization.

Profile a Donor and the Process from Gift to Outcome
Provide a story of a donor, of similar age, that gave a contribution, and track that contribution from acceptance to the beneficiary. This could be done with a visual timeline showing the steps and processes from the time the organization receives the money to the completion of a service or program and the resulting outcome.

Create a Donor Education Campaign
Develop a donor education campaign that touches potential donors prior to a solicitation. Target next-generation donors with key messages about where money goes. For instance, Malaria No More did campaigns explaining that a $10 contribution would send a mosquito net to a family in Africa, helping to protect the family from Malaria. In this way, the campaign focused more on education than solicitation.

Utilize Key Influencers
Develop relationships with key professionals in this age bracket. Provide them with information and language they can use to inform and engage other donors. During events and other activities, give these influencers the opportunity to communicate the purpose and specifics of any gift.

It’s often said that the devil is in the details. When courting young donors, however, it seems that success is in the details. Pursue these donors with broad, general-giving campaigns, and they’ll likely take their money elsewhere. But if you pursue them with concrete information about the specific impact their money will have, you’ll not only stand a better chance of getting their support, but also of creating long-term relationships.

To receive information and results from the young donor survey, email research@achieveguidance.com to be added to the notification list.

By Achieve CEO Derrick Feldmann