Are too many charity leaders obsessed with attracting young donors? Jeff Brooks, creative director at Merkle/Domain, a fund-raising consulting firm, thinks so.

“Seriously, it’s time to give up on the under-30 group and move on” he writes in his Donor Power Blog “The reason young people aren’t present in large numbers among donors is not money. It’s their age.”

They just aren’t “there” yet, Mr. Brooks adds. They “seldom” give and “don’t make lasting partnerships with charities.” Meanwhile, “older people dominate the ranks of donors.”

Mr. Brooks is aware that not everyone is so complacent with this generation gap. He quotes from the charity consultant Barry Hessenius’s Barry’s Blog where much has been made about a study showing that California arts organizations are doing little to attract young patrons and donors.

Mr. Brooks says nonprofit groups should get over their “fixation” on young folks and go after “almost-old people” instead: Baby boomers in their 40’s and 50’s. This demographic is challenging enough, he says, requiring more thorough outreach efforts than the over-60 set currently does. As donors they will need greater “relevance,” “choice,” “specificity,” and “proof of effectiveness.”

“And the under-30 group? Wait until they become the over-50 group,” he concludes. “Until then, they’re pretty much a waste of time.”