Watch AARP online!
If your data indicates that most of your small gift income still comes from direct mail, and you think most of your donors are over fifty years old, but you sense more and more online interaction with your donors is happening (and more is possible), then whose online practices might you pay special attention to for insight and tips?
AARP, of course. No one talks to more 50+ individuals, more frequently, for more purposes, than AARP. And they have the resources to study their market and get it right. Presently, AARP.org claims 3 million unique monthly visitors, and 44 million total page views. By the end of the year, AARP endeavors to reach 5.8 million average monthly unique visits.
This article from Online Media Daily gives a brief overview of AARP’s re-designed website.
And here’s a link to AARP’s very useful study of online practices by the 50+ crowd.
Good news: 40% of 50+ internet users consider themselves extremely or very comfortable using the internet. We’ll make online donors out of them yet!
And 27% use social media sites (many learning about such sites from children or grandchildren). However, reflecting their almost genetic preference for print media, when it comes to following the news (a driver of giving, at least in the cause sector), only about 36% look for online sources, and of those 66% chiefly go to the sites of traditional media (cable news, newspaper and magazine sites).
Tom
2 responses to “Watch AARP online!”
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Hi,
What is it with 50 plus? Why is there surprise that we’re IT literate. I’m 53. I did a 3-year part time MBA at Edinburgh University, starting one month before my 50th birthday. I’m going to be working at least until I’m 65, and probably longer as the UK retirement age keeps going up.
Why am I in the same age bracket as people in their 60s, 70s, 80’s and 90’s. If my grandmother were still alive, she’d be in the same group (at 96). That’s a lot of different generations, a lot of different learning experiences, and too big a demographic to make any useful generalisations from.
In response to Penelope Blackwell – It is a little bit curious that AARP sets 50 years old as its lower age limit for membership. It’s probably because of the collective buying power of those of us who are in the 50 – 65 year old pre-retirement age! Their advertisers want access to us. Also, it’s a way of building their base for future stability. Personally I like AARP and think that the organization has a lot to offer, including interesting research like this. I also agree that our age bracket (50+) does prefer to read printed materials!