Non-profits seek to engage new generation of givers

EAST COUNTY — Derrick Feldmann knows the secret.

As nonprofits across the country struggle with how to adapt to a new generation of givers, Feldmann is making sense of a cultural shift led by millenials — the term used for individuals born between 1980 and 2000.

Feldmann, CEO of Achieve, a creative fundraising agency and co-author of “Cause for Change: The Why and How of Nonprofit Millennial Engagement,” shared with local nonprofit leaders about how to better engage that generation, during the annual Fundraisers Forum event July 12, at State College of Florida’s Lakewood Ranch campus.

Millennials give and engage with nonprofits but not in ways previously seen, Feldmann said,
“For the first time, we (have a generation that grew) up with technology all the time,” Feldmann said. “This was the first generation that, in school, had computers.”

Rather than connecting with specific organizations, millennials, instead, connect with causes, such as purifying water in third-world countries.

They also are more likely to give more smaller donations — averaging about $21 at a time — to causes and organizations promoted by their peers.

Feldmann, who leads the national research team on the Millennial Impact Survey, said his research shows 42% of millennials will give in less than one minute, when asked by their friends, and 80% of them are looking at the cause on their phones.

They also view the use of social media, for example, as a way to support a particular nonprofit or cause, although they may not be volunteering in person.

“(We’ve) seeing them sign petitions,” said Feldmann. “They view re-tweeting as helping you out.”

The generation also is looking for organizations to spell out how they will use donated dollars.

Event-based fundraisers also are most likely to be their first venture into giving, Feldmann said.

The Fundraisers Forum is a partnership between the Association of Fundraising Professionals Southwest Florida Chapter and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].