Mailing To Generation Y
Recently we reported our recent DonorTrends survey finding that "Newbies" — donors born after Boomers (1946-1964), had jumped forward in giving, in fact passing Boomers in average annual giving.
Our survey data indicates that 55% of Newbies have contributed online to charities, falling to 29% who have given online to advocacy groups and 16% to political groups. Interestingly, despite these levels of online giving, 49% of Newbies say they prefer to donate in response to mail appeals, versus only 12% who prefer online appeals.
So … how to mail to the younger generations?
Here’s a piece from Britt Brouse of Inside Direct Mail that offers advice on how to connect with Gen Yers and Xers in the mail. How timely!
According to a USPS study, 18-24 year-olds receive 6.1 mail pieces per week, 25-34 year-olds receive 10.9 pieces, and 35-44 year olds receive 12.4 pieces. One hypothesis is that Gen Yers (ages 14-31) might be more attentive to mail simply because they receive less of it.
Author Brouse says for mail to be effective with younger prospects, it should be personalized, "cool" in design, value-driven (meaning these consumers are price sensitive), perceived as environmentally sensitive (in terms of recycled paper, inks, minimal packaging, etc).
Do you have any mailing experience targeting younger donors that you’d like to share?
Tom
Behavioral Science Q & A
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