{"id":11286,"date":"2019-07-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/?p=11286"},"modified":"2024-05-08T21:48:20","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T21:48:20","slug":"generation-myth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/generation-myth\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Down the \u201cGeneration Myth\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi, my name is Tina, and I\u2019m a millennial.<\/p>\n

I sometimes feel like I should be ashamed of being part of my generation. In fact, I often tell people that I\u2019m a millennial by age only, but that I connect more with Generation X. You probably know this already, but in some circles, we have a pretty bad rep.<\/p>\n

Yet, as I grow older, I\u2019m slowly beginning to realize that the whole idea of what \u201cdefines\u201d a generation depends entirely on who you talk to. And thankfully, Josh McQueen, co-founder at McQueen, Mackin & Associates, echoed all my thoughts and feelings and wrapped them up in a fabulously informative package during a session at the 2018 NIO Summit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In his speech titled \u201cChanges in Giving and Volunteer Work for Nonprofits<\/a>,\u201d Josh breaks down generational differences and the myths surrounding age groups. Here\u2019s a summary of some of his main points, and what you can do to capitalize on the generational differences among your donor base.<\/p>\n

What Constitutes a Generation?<\/h2>\n

\"donors-millennials\"<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019ve seen a lot of conflicting data on the date parameters for each generation.<\/p>\n

According to Josh, each generation lasts approximately 18 years, and each generation has roughly the same size population because the same number of people have been born every year since 1952. So contrary to popular belief, millennials aren\u2019t a large generation.<\/p>\n

The Bigger Picture: Then and Now<\/h2>\n

\"fundraising-then-now\"<\/p>\n

He first studied the giving habits of each generation in 2009, during a time when nonprofits were closing down at a rapid pace (15% of all nonprofits failed between 2008-2010).<\/p>\n

Fast forward nine years and his research team decided to tackle the same questions again, nearly half a generation later, with a booming economy and a staggering 1.5 million nonprofit organizations on the books.<\/p>\n

Breaking Down the Findings<\/h2>\n

\"generational-myths-fundraising\"<\/p>\n

2009 Was Not A Good Year For Giving<\/strong>: Economically, 2009 was a horrible year for everyone, including nonprofits. For example, Boomers weren\u2019t giving more as they age, but the Silent Generation was moving off the \u201cgiving stage,\u201d so to speak and leaving estate gifts opposed to annual gifts.<\/p>\n

Giving Plateaus Impact Giving, But Change Over Time<\/strong>: Giving steadily increases until donors are in their 40s; paying for their kids\u2019 school expenses, mortgages, etc. These expenses naturally recede during retirement, which is when donors tend to increase amounts as they age.<\/p>\n