Presentation Materials: 

E7_GenerosityAcrossGenerations_presentation.pdf

Below the surface of the economic turmoil of the past few years has been the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in U.S. history. Many fund development professionals are using Twitter, Facebook, and blogs to attract young, web-savvy donors to their organization’s mission. Yes, organizations need to mobilize their online communities, but have they lost sight of who is giving, to whom they are giving, and how much? At this workshop, attendees will play the Generation Game and learn how the transmission of philanthropic value across generations can provide implications for their organization’s development strategies. Attendees will also learn how to target their messaging to baby boomers, millennials, and everyone in between.

Workshop objectives/takeaways:

• understand how giving patterns differ across generations and what lifestyle and demographic indicators will influence a donor’s tendency to give;


• learn about the inevitable transfer of wealth and how interacting with each generation will impact an organization’s ability to capture charitable dollars; and


• play the Generation Game to gain a deeper understanding of generational thinking.

Presenters: Simon Bisson, executive vice president and chief development officer, Starr Commonwealth; and Sheila T. Zelenski, vice president of member relations and knowledge management, Alliance for Children and Families

Workshop synopsis:

This workshop will focus on the influence of generational differences in giving.

Nonprofit scholars Paul G. Schervish and John J. Havens from the Center for Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College indicate that between 1998 and 2052, $41 trillion is going to be disbursed from one generation to the next. They say that a golden age of philanthropy was upon us, but has been muted in recent years—especially because of the economic downturn.

There is no doubt that people will still die, and they will still want to pass on their wealth. Nonprofit organizations must be well-positioned to understand how each generation regards the nonprofit sector and how they will choose to leverage their charitable dollars. Research from leading institutions will illustrate who gives, how much they give, and to what they give to.

Attendees at this workshop will play the Generational Game to gain an understanding of generational differences in thinking, relating, giving, and decision making. They will explore how differences in generations require different methodologies in asking and attaining donations.

In tandem, presenters will examine the ways social media is changing the nonprofit world and that how nonprofits’ web presences need to include messaging for each generation. Additionally, presenters will examine effective messaging for specific age groups and how to appreciate the experiences, beliefs, and actions of each generation in terms of how they view the work of nonprofit organizations.