June 1, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Older donors might be where the money is now.
But giving up on recruiting younger donors — as was suggested recently by the fund-raising consultant Jeff Brooks — could be a recipe for long-term problems.
So says Tom Belford, a fund-raising expert and an author of The Agitator.
Mr. Belford says nonprofits should devote the bulk of their resources toward grabbing donors who are most likely to give now.
But he argues that fund raisers should also be looking at ways to build relationships with those who are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
Mr. Belford writes that nearly half of all people younger than the baby boomers give to charity and that such people are also useful in filling the ranks of activists and volunteers.
More important, he writes that the younger set will be more likely to give later to groups that build relationships now.
“Brand awareness matters now,” he writes. “Our research indicates that post-boomers are the segment least familiar with the organizations working on issues they already care about. And they’re the most likely to give money to organizations they’ve never heard of before (so established groups need to get in their face).”
What are the most effective ways to reach younger donors without draining resources away from efforts aimed at those who are giving now? Click on the comments link just below this posting to share your thoughts.
