Are people in their 20s really that much different from their older peers?
A recent study by Convio, Edge Research, and Sea Change Strategies shows that this emerging generation of donors gets involved with charities in a decidedly new-media way.
An article in this week’s Chronicle shows how nonprofit groups are changing their fund-raising strategies to appeal to donors in their 20s and offers tips for how to connect with Generation Y.
Before proceeding with social-media plans, fund raisers and others should look at the statistics here, which provide some food for thought for those who are trying to decide whether social media is worth their time.
While we’ve pointed in previous posts to the notion that social-media sites like Twitter and Facebook are not raising huge pots of money for most groups, it is also worth noting that nonprofit organizations neglect Twitter, Facebook, text messaging, and other social channels at their own peril.
If they fail to use these channels now, they could be losing out building relationships with this emerging generation of supporters.
One Response to Sleeping With the Cellphone: The 20-Something Donor
peter_panepento - May 10, 2010 at 2:56 pm
The following comment was submitted by e-mail by Chronicle reader Geri Stendel. I’m posting it at her request.Here it is:I couldn’t agree with Peter more. Milennials are social and they use technology to facilitate that sociability. To reach the future money-bags of the world, you’ve got to go where they are, whether that is Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or somoe other sociable place on the net.But remember, donations are also about relationships; they take time to build. Give milennials time to get to know your organization and what it stands for. Milennials have a strong sense of civic duty and a desire to make a difference in the world. They’ll work hard for you, once they trust you. But you have to realize that money and status isn’t what’s important to them … and they may not have money yet. At first, you may get time from them instead of money.That time is valuable. It’s what you need to build the relationship from which the money will flow. And time is also valuable because you can use it to access those milennial skills that you need now.So get with the program! Learn about social media while the milennials are cutting their teeth on it. If you need help, get it — http://ventureneer.com/stop-wasting-time-on-social-media