As fundraisers woo baby boomers and millennials, they sometimes neglect Generation X, born from 1965 to 1980. However, giving experts say those donors are poised to become increasingly important to nonprofits. Here’s a case study of a charity that’s paying Gen X some attention, and seeing results.
Gen Xers are hard-nosed about their giving. At least that’s the view of conservation group Panthera, which aims to protect lions, tigers, and other big cats. And it should know: In the past four years, the organization’s budget has climbed from $8.5 million to $14 million, thanks in part to a new strategy inspired by donors in that age group, says Richard Reeve, senior director of development.
A child’s love for wild animals often brings Gen X families to Panthera’s doorstep. But the charity has learned that these donors are hardly warm and fuzzy when assessing how their money is used. According to Mr. Reeve, feedback from three major Gen X donors led the organization to change how it reports results.
When donors give at least $20,000, Panthera provides specifics about how their money is used. In the past, these reports focused chiefly on stories about the programs the gifts supported. But donors weren’t interested in the narratives, Mr. Reeves says; they told the charity, “I want to see the data.”
In 2015, as part of the organization’s strategic planning, it rethought how it presented its scientists’ work, Mr. Reeve says. “Now there’s still a narrative base to our reporting, but it’s backed up with more rigorous data — how do we demonstrate the story that we’re telling? There are more charts in the reports now, more data sets that show how we’re tracking progress.”
The tailoring of reports to Generation X has drawn in millennials as well, though not unreservedly. Panthera and other charities have discovered that Gen Xers and millennials, unlike baby boomers, typically prefer to support specific projects and eschew unrestricted gifts. In 2015, Mr. Reeve says, 64 percent of Panthera’s budget was earmarked and 36 percent was unrestricted money, reverse the ratio of two years earlier.
That can be challenging, but Mr. Reeve is taking the long view.
“I see a lot of potential board members in this age group,” he says. “When you’re sitting on the board of an organization and you’re going through the budgetary process, you’re really looking at the costs from A to Z.” He says this perspective can trigger a “maturation process” in board members, helping them recognize the value of unrestricted gifts.
He laughs and adds, “I guess I’m optimistic about this.”
