2. Managing the Gap: Meeting Gen Xers and Millennials Where They're At
Melissa S. Brown
Melissa S. Brown & Associates

3. Learning Objectives Who gives now and on average, how much?
What attracts Gens X, Y (Millennial) and Z (now in college) as donors?
What can you do to engage more members as donors?

4. $ $ To Increase Giving Increase the percentage of members who give
Managing the Gap
Increase the percentage of members who give
Retain existing member donors
Increase the average amount per donor
Do all of the above $ $

5. Who gives?

6. Share of total individual dollars given by income range
Circa 2015
Managing the Gap
Source: MSBrown LLC based on IRS tax returns (itemizers) and Philanthropy Panel Study (others)

7. Generations - ICYMI X Y (aka Millennial) Born 1965 – 1980 (or so)
Managing the Gap X
Born 1965 – 1980 (or so)
Now about ages 38 to 53
Mostly in or entering “peak earning” years
Y (aka Millennial)
Born 1980 (or so) – 1995 (some say)
Now about ages 22 to 38
½ college/early jobs (20s?) and
½ “established” (home, partner job)

8. Share of total individual dollars given
Managing the Gap

9. Elders give more and more often
Managing the Gap

10. What drives giving?

11. What “predicts” giving, all else being equal?
Managing the Gap
What “predicts” giving, all else being equal?
Finishing higher education
Income > financial needs
Married
LEAST likely donor in U.S. is a single guy
Larger social networks
Religious participation
NOT “Bowling Alone”
Volunteering

12. Why don’t Gens X and Y give more?
Managing the Gap
Why don’t Gens X and Y give more?

13. Managing the Gap
Xers
seek work Ys
seek work
Source: John Burns and Chris Porter, Big Shifts Ahead : Demographic Clarity for Business, Kindle location 842

14. Contemporary financial priorities
Managing the Gap
Contemporary financial priorities

15. What is on the upside? Commitment to better world.
Managing the Gap
Commitment to better world.
High levels of education.
More adults choosing not to have kids.
Tend to be more likely to be donors.
Much more likely to make planned gifts.
Fewer moves.
More time in a community  more giving.
The world is interconnected.

16. Managing the Gap

17. Make giving Family friendly for Xers and some Ys Easy to do
Managing the Gap
Family friendly for Xers and some Ys
Easy to do
Part of a “play” or “future” category
Budget-friendly
Fun

18. What can you do?
Managing the Gap
__ Easier online interface __ Offer family-based incentives or benefits __ Provide career or re-location benefits __ Promote a monthly giving program __ Create a game or competition / Fun __ Other:

19. Ask for advice, Offer knowledge, Report impact
Managing the Gap
Ask for advice, Offer knowledge, Report impact
What are key issues for your fraternity?
How can alumni members help?
What could they learn from current programs or circumstances?
How will a gift of $100 or $1,000 make a difference?

20. Possible tools
Managing the Gap
Short surveys genuinely inviting advice for a time-specific information need
YouTube of terrific experience associated with your organization
Video or Instagram or other narrative for “Day in the Life of…”
Postcards with photos, story, and push to website for follow-up
And…..

21. What can you do? To identify issues appropriate for alumni engagement?
Managing the Gap
To identify issues appropriate for alumni engagement?
To invite participation in discussion and report results?

22. Retention = Trust Phone calls to say thank you
Managing the Gap
Retention = Trust
Phone calls to say thank you
Report impact based on lives changed
Transparency
Which means ______________________
___________________________________
_____________________________

23. Communications that boost retention
Managing the Gap
Communications that boost retention
Personalized, not just in address but using other fields
Since your gift in [Month Year] for [purpose or fund], your fraternity has ____.
“You” language. Make donors the heroes.
Stories that link impact data to people, faces, names.

24. What to do for retention?
Managing the Gap
Good practices for retention

25. To raise average gift amount
Managing the Gap
To raise average gift amount
Thank, Educate, Engage, Ask
Report impact
Connect gift amount with result
Ask for increases
Recency, Frequency, Monetary (total $)
Structure engagement and asks for top 20%
Ask monthly givers for annual increase

26. Multi-channel Direct mail lives!
Managing the Gap
Direct mail lives!
open rates have been dropping.
Online giving is still < 10% of total
Fastest growing category.
Common for mailed request to generate online gift.
Make online giving very easy and quick.

27. What can you do? Key take-aways ___________________________________
Managing the Gap
Key take-aways
___________________________________
First steps ___________________________________

28. Learning Objectives √ √ √ ___Who gives now and on average, how much?
___ What attracts Gens X, Y (Millennial) and Z (now in college) as donors?
___ What can you do to engage more members as donors? √ √ √

29. Thank you!