Five-Minute Friday: Everybody’s Talkin’ Next Generation, What are they Sayin’?
“We need to attract younger donors."
You hear this all the time. At board meetings, strategic planning sessions, and development committee check-ins, everywhere, the conversation turns to “engaging the next generation.” And for good reason. The Great Wealth Transfer is underway, with an estimated $124 trillion passing from Baby Boomers to their heirs over the next two decades. Young donors have more philanthropic options than ever before, and they’re savvier about how they give. They research. They compare. They demand impact data.
Yet here’s what I keep seeing: most nonprofits either don’t know how or don’t have the resources to engage this cohort meaningfully.
The Problem with Young Professional Groups
"Let’s start a young professionals’ group!"
Sound familiar? It’s the nonprofit equivalent of throwing spaghetti at the wall. Set up some happy hours, maybe a volunteer day, send some emails to anyone under 40 in your database, and... wait for the magic to happen.
Spoiler: it doesn’t.
Here’s why this approach falls flat: it treats “young professionals” as a monolithic group with identical interests, when in reality, you’re dealing with people in vastly different life stages, industries, and wealth positions. A 28-year-old nonprofit employee has a different capacity than a 35-year-old tech executive. They’re motivated differently. They engage differently.
And let’s talk about an even more dangerous assumption: believing that donors’ children will automatically continue the family legacy of giving to your organization. Sure, you might know who the heirs of your major donors are. You have their names in your database. But assuming they’ll write checks to your organization just because Mom and Dad did for thirty years? That’s wishful thinking masquerading as a donor retention strategy.
The Real Challenge
The problem runs deeper than a lack of happy hours. Most organizations struggle to define who the “new” philanthropists even are. Are they those individuals currently building wealth who aren’t on anyone’s radar yet? Are they mid-career donors, who are new in their philanthropy, but perhaps beyond the stereotypical “young professional?”
A longtime donor I worked with shared a better question to ask your current donors and board members: “Who is impressing you right now?” Not “Who are the young professionals in your network?” but “Who is doing interesting work? Who’s making moves in their career? Who has that spark? Who will be leading your company in 10 years?"
That subtle shift changes everything. You’re no longer demographic-targeting. You’re looking for the right people: engaged, ambitious, purpose-driven individuals who are earlier in their wealth journey.
Three Next Generation Donor Strategies that Actually Work
1. Stay True to Your Mission (And Make it Accessible)
I ask the same question every time I meet a donor for the first time, regardless of where they are in their philanthropic journey or relationship with my organization. “Why did you choose to support (insert organization name here)?” The answer almost always falls into one of two categories: “I volunteered and was inspired by the work,” or “A friend recommended that I get involved here.” Fortunately, these answers won’t change as the next generation of philanthropists determines where to support.
With this knowledge, it is more important than ever that we give new philanthropists opportunities to be inspired and make a difference. Happy hours and young donor events are great, but how much better are they when the group shares inspirational stories from experience because they were allowed to put their skills to use for a worthwhile cause?
Your 30-year-old data analyst doesn’t want to stuff envelopes. But ask them to help build a dashboard that tracks program outcomes? Now you’re speaking their language. They’re contributing real value, seeing your impact firsthand, and creating an authentic relationship with your mission.
2. Philanthropic Mentorship: The Secret Weapon
Some of the best higher education advancement programs have figured this out. When you identify someone earning significant wealth for the first time, whether through a promotion, business success, or inheritance, introduce them to one of your established donors.
Philanthropic Mentorship in Action:
Imagine a 34-year-old entrepreneur who just sold her first company. She’s never made a major gift before, but she’s passionate about equity in education. Great! This aligns perfectly with your organization’s mission! We will have a major gifts officer reach out to invite her to our young professionals’ happy hour, and she’ll certainly want to make a gift! Get in line.
Here’s a different approach. Rather than treating her like any other new donor, you reach out to one of your longtime supporters. This successful business owner has been giving to your organization for 20 years and is a well-respected entrepreneur and philanthropist in your city. Rather than hearing from your talented major gift officer, she hears from a passionate, loyal supporter who has already vetted and can vouch for your work.
Over coffee, the veteran donor shares their own journey: how they started by tutoring at your organization before making a modest annual gift. Eventually, they endowed salaries for tutors in their late 40s, and now serve on your board. They talk about the tax strategies they wish they’d known earlier. They discuss how philanthropy became a family value. They explain why unrestricted gifts sometimes matter more than designated ones.
This isn’t a cultivation meeting disguised as mentorship. It’s genuine relationship-building. The young entrepreneur gets the wisdom she actually needs. Your established donor feels valued for their experience, not just their checkbook. And you’ve created a natural pathway for deeper engagement that doesn’t feel transactional. Upon leaving the cafe, the established donor invites your young entrepreneur to volunteer together at your organization in a couple of weeks.
3. The 10x Stewardship Approach
What if finding this young entrepreneur isn’t as straightforward as tracking public wealth events? This is an opportunity to be bold: steward emerging donors as though their gift was 10 times the actual amount.
Did someone in their early 30s make a $1,000 gift? Treat them like a $10,000 donor. Invite them to the behind-the-scenes program visit. Include them in the intimate donor briefing with your executive director. Send them the impact report with the handwritten note.
The Pushback (And Why It’s Wrong)
“Won’t this dilute the experience for our major donors?"
This is the concern I hear most often, and I get it. You’ve worked hard to create memorable experiences for your most generous supporters. Won’t they feel less valued if you’re extending similar treatment to people giving much less?
In my experience, exactly the opposite happens. Your established donors overwhelmingly appreciate your strategic thinking about organizational sustainability. They want to know you’re building for the future, not just squeezing every dollar out of their generation.
Plus, something is energizing about bringing emerging leaders into these spaces. Your longtime supporters get to share their wisdom. They meet interesting people they might not encounter otherwise. The events feel less stale, more dynamic.
And here’s the kicker: if needed, this is an incredible opportunity to solicit a longtime donor for immediate funding as an investment in the future. When offered in a transparent, enthusiastic way, the right supporter will be thrilled to support this effort.
The Bottom Line
Engaging the next generation isn’t about creating separate, lesser experiences for “young people.” It’s about identifying the right individuals sooner, building an authentic connection to your mission, and being bold enough to invest before you see an immediate financial return.
Stop asking “How do we get young people to give?"
Start asking, “How do we build genuine relationships with people who share our values, regardless of where they are in their wealth journey?"
The organizations that figure this out now won’t just survive the wealth transfer; they’ll grow exponentially in the next 20 years.
Want to develop a next-generation engagement strategy that’s tailored to your organization? Let’s talk! I’d be happy to schedule a complimentary conversation to explore what authentic engagement might look like for your mission and community.
