Gen Z and Fundraising

 

Here’s a stat for you: Around 40% of Gen Z’ers buy used clothing.

As my dad used to say, so what does that have to do with the price of eggs? This: Gen Z has a different relationship with stuff than older generations.

Okay, but what does that have to do with the price of eggs? This: Because Gen Z has a different relationship with stuff, they have a different relationship with money.

And we won’t ask the question again: Because they have a different relationship with money, they have a different relationship with the idea of giving money away.

Now we can come back around to the 40% of Gen Z that buys used clothing. Not only do they buy used clothing, but they shop at rummage sales and buy used books and embrace the upcycling and recycling concepts.

At least some of that shopping is done at a non-profit storefront or a time and place that supports causes.

That is charitable giving, every bit as sure as you sitting down and writing a check to the United Way (which plenty of Gen Z also do). It’s a not-new way of giving that only seems new because it’s what many Gen Z’ers lead with when it comes to charitable endeavors.

They aren’t giving at church as much, they aren’t giving to their college, they may not be all hepped up about the United Way, but they are giving.

In fact, according to research from Abacus Cooperative, Gen Z adults make an average of 5.3 donations each year – more than the 4.8 made by Millennials or the 4.7 made by Gen X.

But again, that translates differently: Only about one in five give money directly to an organization, though more than four out of five support causes through actions like volunteering or advocacy.

Gen Z and mail

Here’s something else important about Gen Z: They really like getting mail – and they really don’t mind direct mail.

Consider that:

• • 85% of Gen Z respondents consider direct mail useful.
  • For 18-21-year-olds, direct mail gets 100 times the response of digital ads– 12.4%, versus 0.12% for digital media.
  • Two-thirds of Gen Z consumers are more excited about direct mail now than they were a year ago. That positivity level is the highest of any generation – even Millennials.
  • Almost three-quarters of Gen Z said they’d be disappointed if they stopped getting mail.
  • Almost nine in 10 Gen Z’ers physically interact with their mail instead of tossing it immediately.

What else do we know about Gen Z?

• • They’re adventuresome. It’s early, but they look to be the generation to travel more, explore more, try more new things, go further afield, and then come back home and apply what they’ve learned.
  • They’re more financially savvy than their parents. They saw what it was like to grow up with parents struggling with student-loan debt, and many of them have vowed not to let that happen to them, even if it means working three jobs to afford school.
  • Along those lines – and back to buying used clothing – they’re careful with how and where they spend their money.
  • Because they’ve been bombarded with marketing messages since they were in the cradle, they’re more distrustful of ads and can see through the embedded marketing messages in games and shows.
  • They value authenticity, even if it’s coming from someone they know is a paid influencer.

Using Gen Z’s traits to craft winning direct mail

Okay, let’s try to make sense of all this from a non-profit-marketer’s perspective.

How can you craft effective fundraising messages to reach Gen Z?

Keep it authentic.

You’re not going to flim-flam this generation, so don’t even try.

Tell true stories, make them engaging, and craft them in a way that they can be told across media. In fact, you can create a story arc that starts with a letter, moves to a microsite, proceeds to a video, and ends with a print piece.

Since this generation wants to know where their money goes, tell them where their money goes, be transparent.

Provide them opportunities to meet you in person and see your work. They’re likely to give more if it’s personal.

That ties into a second point:

Provide multiple points of contact.

The old mail-invite-to-a-wine-tasing paradigm won’t work with Gen Z.

What will?

• • An invite to a thrift sale.
  • An invitation to volunteer, with an optional event afterwards.
  • Links to stories that they can see and share.
  • A campaign that integrates print, digital, social, video, volunteerism, and personal contacts.
  • Open lines of communication.

If it seems all over the board, that’s because it is. There’s no one best way of reaching all of Gen Z; there are only small ways of reaching a portion of the group for a moment.

This approach can’t be “solved” with a mailing – but it can’t be solved with a website or a social campaign, either. It requires holistic approaches with an emphasis on interactivity, knowing that a not-insignificant portion of your audience will prefer to stay at home with a book and share the stories of your event.

Meet them where they are.

Many Gen Z’ers would like to donate but many can’t … so give them a volunteer opportunity.

Many Gen Z’ers don’t have a car to get downtown … so provide a shuttle, or a ride, or make an event bike – or mass-transit-friendly.

Many Gen Z’ers may be steps away from needing the help your organization provides … so be grateful for anything they do.

These may seem to be miles from direct-mail fundraising, but they’re messages that can be communicated via direct mail that can lead to donations. Dismiss their importance at your peril.

Meeting people where they are is just another way of playing the long game. A Gen-Z-targeted mailing with an immediate revenue goal is likely to fall short of that goal, but it many recoup the investment many times over given ample time.

Don’t go 100% digital.

It’s too early to say for sure, but print may be making a comeback. Vice magazine recently announced a print edition, joining Nylon and Spin as titles that recently resumed print operations.

There’s synergy between print and the things Gen Z values – reused items, nuevo-retro aesthetics, spending time with tangible items like books and records.

There’s no question that Gen Z is more willing to interact with physical objects and more resistant to digital messaging.

What does that mean for your fundraising operations? Print is not a bad idea when you’re trying to reach Gen Z.

It can’t be just any print, however. For Gen Z, you need to focus on authentic stories of the good your organization does. You need to show diversity, while at the same time showing people like them being involved.

You need quality pieces that aren’t ostentatious.

The sweet spot is small, but it’s not nonexistent. And the process of creating these stories will help inform everything else you do, so it’s worthwhile work.

The bottom line on Gen Z: Their hearts are open; you just need to give them some time and space. And they’re very open to print and direct mail as a medium; you just need to craft your message very intentionally.

 

By Jim Felhofer 10/24/24