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NEWS

Bloomerang's Generational Giving Report Reveals Digital Wallets Surpass Checks for Charitable Donations

The second edition of the report shows the latest in donation trends across generations and what drives donors to stop giving

Bloomerang's Generational Giving Report

Bloomerang, the industry’s leading donor, volunteer, and fundraising management platform, today released the second edition of its Generational Giving Report. This comprehensive study, analyzes responses from more than 1,000 individuals across four generations, and reveals crucial insights into giving behaviors, donor involvement, and the range of approaches each age group has for supporting nonprofit organizations.

“Given the latest Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) data, it’s crucial for nonprofits to understand and engage with their donor base to overcome declines in giving,” said Dennis Fois, CEO of Bloomerang. “By tailoring their approaches to align with generational preferences, organizations can optimize the giving experience and build stronger relationships with their supporters. This not only helps save time and resources, but also maximizes the outcomes of their efforts, ensuring they connect with donors in ways that resonate and encourage increased support.”

Key findings from the 2024 Generational Giving Report include:

  • Donors of all ages rely on online platforms to learn more about an organization before donating. Prior to making a gift, 85% of donors will research a nonprofit by visiting their website and 70% will visit their social media profiles.
  • Digital wallet preference has surpassed more traditional giving methods. Digital wallets are the third most popular way for donors to give to nonprofits after giving via debit or credit card and cash, surpassing checks.
  • When asked why they stopped donating, 44% of donors said they no longer trusted their donations were being used wisely, followed by 39% who said they no longer felt connected to the nonprofit they’d previously supported.
  • Generation Z is the most enthusiastic about attending fundraising events. Despite favoring online methods of communication and giving, Gen Z prefers attending in-person fundraising events more than any other generation.
  • Donors have low stewardship expectations. 74% of donors do not expect to be thanked for making a donation, indicating a significant opportunity for fundraising professionals to steward their donors.
  • Gen X and Gen Z are the generations most willing to participate in peer-to-peer fundraising for organizations they support. 62% of Gen X and 56% of Gen Z will fundraise for causes they care about, while members of the Baby Boomer generation are the least likely to fundraise on behalf of an organization.

“In addition to discovering unique preferences among different generations of donors, we’ve also discovered what different generations have in common,” said Bloomerang’s nonprofit content and education specialist, Wendy Mercurio. “For example, trust and connection are crucial to all donors. For those who noted intentionally stopping their support, not feeling connected to a nonprofit and losing trust in how their donation was spent are major factors that led to a halt in donations.”

The second edition of the Generational Giving Report shows donation trends across age demographics, what drives donors to stop giving, and how nonprofits can build stronger relationships with each generation.

To learn more and download the full report, click here.

About the Generational Giving Report: The first edition of this report was published by Qgiv, a fundraising platform Bloomerang acquired in January of 2024. The second edition of this report was developed in collaboration with Qgiv and Bloomerang. The report is based on a survey conducted in May 2024 to gain deeper insights on donor behaviors. More than 1,000 participants made charitable donations in the past 12 months were surveyed, and 90% of respondents donated during this period, and 92% had supported nonprofits in non-financial ways such as volunteering and promoting the organization’s work.

Kristen Hay
Kristen Hay is the Senior Marketing Manager at Bloomerang. From 2018 - 2020, she served as the Director of Communications for the Public Relations Society of America's local Hoosier chapter. Prior to that, she served on several committees and in committee chair roles.