We’ve listed the latest charitable giving demographic data providing insights on how each generation prefers to give to charity.
Charitable Giving Demographics For Nonprofits
Millennias
- 25.9% of US population.
- 40% of Millennial donors are enrolled in a monthly giving program.
- 26% gave tribute gifts.
- 46% donate to crowdfunding campaigns.
- 15% gave on #GivingTuesday 2017.
- 16% give through Facebook fundraising tools.
- 64% volunteer locally, 9% internationally.
- 55% attend fundraising events.
- 11% of total US giving comes from Millennials
- 84% of Millennials give to charity, donating an annual average of $481 across 3.3 organizations.
- Millennials are active on their phones and respond best to text message and social media, but rarely check personal email or respond to voice calls.
- Millennials are most likely to contribute to work sponsored initiatives, donate via mobile and watch online videos before making a gift.
- 47% of Millennials gave through an organization’s website in 2016.
- 88% of Millennials find their job more fulfilling when they have opportunities to make a positive impact on society and the environment.
- 52% of Millennials are more likely to give monthly over a large one-time donation.
- 77% of the respondents believe that offering employee engagement opportunities is an important recruitment strategy to attract millennials.
- Among millennials, YouTube accounts for 2/3rds of the premium online video watched across devices
- 44% of millennials said that would rather use their mobile phones than use cash to pay for small items.
Gen Xers
- 20.4% of US population.
- 49% of Gen X donors are enrolled in a monthly giving program.
- 31% give tribute gifts.
- 45% donate to crowdfunding campaigns.
- 14% gave on #GivingTuesday 2017.
- 19% give through Facebook fundraising tools.
- 64% volunteer locally, 8% internationally.
- 56% attend fundraising events.
- Gen Xers are most likely to fundraise on behalf of a cause, make a pledge, and volunteer their time to an organization.
- Gen X prefers text messages or voice calls. These donors regularly check email and stay up to date on social media feeds.
- Email prompted 31% of online donations made by Gen Xers
- 59% of Gen Zs are inspired to donate to charity by a message/image they saw on social media.
Baby Boomers
- 23.6% of the US populations.
- 49% of Baby Boomer donors are enrolled in a monthly giving program.
- 41% give tribute gifts.
- 35% donate to crowdfunding campaigns.
- 15% gave on #GivingTuesday 2017.
- 21% give through Facebook fundraising tools.
- 71% volunteer locally, 9% internationally.
- 58% attend fundraising events.
- 24% of Boomers say they were promoted to give an online donation because of direct mail they received.
- 72% of Boomers give to charity, donating an annual average of $1,212 across 4.5 organizations.
- Boomers answer voice calls, check email regularly, and also use text messaging and social media. Though initially slow to adopt new technology, they take to it quickly once they do.
- Boomers are most likely to make recurring donations on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis.
Greatest Generation
- 11.8% of the US population.
- 30% of donors aged 75+ say they have given online in the last 12 months and on average give 25% more frequently than younger generations.
- 88% of the Greatest gen gives to charity, donating an annual average of $1,367 across 6.2 organizations.
- They represent 26% of total US giving
- Greatest prefer voice calls and direct mail. These donors are late adopters of email and do not typically use text messaging or social media.
- Greatest are most likely to give through direct mail campaigns and donate physical goods.
Read the full list of charitable giving statistics