On Developing Younger Donors

I’d like to give you permission to not worry about something.  (As a Fundraiser, you have plenty to worry about already.)  

So… don’t worry about “developing younger donors.”

The biggest reason a person becomes a generous donor has nothing to do with any nonprofit.  People become generous donors because they age into it: 

• They reach their peak earning years
• Their kids move out
• Expenses are lower and they have more disposable income
• They have more free time
• They start to value meaning more than they value status

As people age they tend to have more money to give, and more motivation to give it.

I say this because when I tell nonprofits to focus their efforts on older donors, someone always pushes back: “But we need to develop our younger donors, too!”

I understand the worry beneath that statement.  When you’re at a nonprofit and you look at your donors, you see a lot of grey hair, and you wonder what will happen when those friends are gone.  That’s a fair and reasonable thing to feel responsible for.

However, the thing that turns people into donors is not under your control.

So, with your limited time and resources, focus on the donors who can give you the most now, and let demographics take care of developing the next generation of donors for you. 

Here’s how that happens.  As people age into their giving years, they start to pay more attention to fundraising messages.  They’re more likely to stop by your website.  They’re more likely to open your mail.  They’re more likely to go to your event.

So the best thing you can do to develop tomorrow’s donors is to develop a fundraising program that works great for today’s best donors.  Then, as the next generation ages into its prime giving years, they will find you.

Your job is to be ready for them, not to get them ready.