Gen Z Is More Generous Than You Think: What Nonprofits Need to Know
Fundraising sure has changed over the last 10 years. There was a time when a strong appeal, a compelling story, and a loyal group of donors could make reaching a fundraising goal feel almost predictable. Nowadays, many nonprofit leaders feel like they’re working harder than ever just to raise the same amount of money.
That shift has created a growing sense of uncertainty and concern about how younger givers will continue to fund our nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit leaders everywhere are having conversations about reaching Gen Z, but no one feels confident they know exactly how to do it. The questions keep coming: What do they value? How do they want to engage? And how do we invite them into our mission?
Gen Z isn’t unreachable. But reaching them may require us to rethink the assumptions and approaches that worked so well with previous generations. That’s why so many leaders are asking, “How will we get them to financially support our organization?”
TL;DR: Gen Z is already generous, but a financial gift may not be their first step. Younger supporters often share, advocate, and fundraise within their networks before donating themselves. Nonprofits can engage them by creating more ways to participate and making their missions easier to share.
I recently attended a webinar titled, “Gen Z Is More Generous Than You Think.” Hosted by GoFundMe, the session presented findings from an extensive research project examining Gen Z’s habits, attitudes, and motivations related to giving. The takeaways were numerous, and they changed the way I think about communicating with younger potential donors.
Gen Z is more generous than many of us realize. But their motivations, values, and journey toward a first gift can look very different from those of older generations.
Gen Z’s Donor Journey Looks Different
To illustrate the difference, let’s first look at the traditional donor journey to making a financial gift for many supporters of your nonprofit:
Awareness: They learn that you exist.
Interest: They connect with what you do. They like the impact in the community that your nonprofit provides.
Engagement: They follow you on social media, visit your website, attend an event, or participate in some other way.
Donate: They make a financial gift.
Repeat: As long as you continue meeting their expectations, they continue giving as they are able.
Occasionally, an older donor who is especially passionate about you and what you do may also promote you to their friends, share your content on social media, or introduce you to people in their network.
But for many Gen Z supporters, sharing and promoting come much earlier in the journey.
Gen Z May Share Before They Donate
Their path looks more like this:
Awareness: They learn that you exist.
Interest: They connect with what you do.
Share: They tell their friends or social media followers about you.
Promote or fundraise: They share a link with their friends / followers to give to your organization or they create a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for your cause.
Donate: They make a financial gift themselves.
The key difference is this: Gen Z may support your cause, mobilize their network, and help raise money for you before ever making their own financial gift.
They recognize the influence they have among their friends and followers, and they are willing to use that influence for an organization they believe in.
That should change the way we think about inviting them into generosity.
What the Research Reveals About Gen Z Giving
Here are some of the other standout findings from the webinar:
Gen Z gives more often and in more ways than other adults. Traditional approaches of asking may not be the way Gen Z naturally chooses to be generous. We need to rethink the amounts, frequency, and methods we make available to them.
Gen Z is also 10X more open than Baby Boomersto sharing that they donated on social media. We should make that easy, by providing simple links, compelling stories, and clear language supporters can use to explain why the mission matters to them.
57% of Gen Z sees family and friends as dominant influences on what shapes their giving and generosity. That means their decision to support you may be influenced less by a traditional fundraising appeal and more by seeing someone they trust participate.
Among Gen Z supporters who use crowdfunding platforms, 91% also give to registered nonprofits. That suggests community-powered fundraising isn’t necessarily competing with traditional nonprofit giving. It can become an entry point. Consider how peer-to-peer campaigns and other online tools could help younger supporters champion your nonprofit within their circles of influence.
How Can Nonprofits Engage Gen Z Supporters?
Spend some time this week looking at your fundraising through the eyes of a younger supporter.
Ask your team:
If someone believed in our mission but wasn’t ready or able to donate, what could we invite them to do?
How easy is it for a supporter to share our work with friends or followers?
Do we provide stories, links, videos, and language that someone could confidently share?
Could a supporter create a birthday fundraiser, peer-to-peer campaign, or other personal fundraiser on our behalf?
Are we treating sharing and advocacy as meaningful forms of generosity, or only paying attention when someone makes a gift?
Where could we invite younger supporters to help shape how we communicate and engage people like them?
You probably won’t redesign your donor journey in one meeting. But you can identify one practical change that makes it easier for a younger supporter to participate.
Perhaps that means creating a simple fundraising toolkit. Maybe it means adding social-sharing options after someone gives, developing a peer-to-peer campaign, or inviting several Gen Z supporters to review your website and donation experience.
Expand Your Definition of Generosity
Whatever you decide, include Gen Z in the conversation. Don’t build a strategy for younger supporters based entirely on what older staff members assume they want. Invite people from that generation to tell you what attracts them, what creates trust, what they would share, and what gets in the way of participating.
I don’t think the path forward requires nonprofits to choose between serving existing donors and engaging younger supporters. But we may need to expand our understanding of what generosity looks like.
A Gen Z supporter who hasn’t donated may not be sitting on the sidelines. They may already be helping your mission travel farther than their own gift could.
FYI: Here’s the link to the webinar I referenced, if you’d like to watch it: Gen Z is more generous than you think | GoFundMe Pro
Frequently Asked Questions:
Are members of Gen Z interested in charitable giving?
Yes. GoFundMe and GivingTuesday research found that 71% of Gen Z adults reported giving in some form during the previous week, compared with 65% of other adults. Their generosity can include donating, volunteering, advocating, sharing, and directly helping individuals.
How does Gen Z approach nonprofit giving differently?
Gen Z giving is often relational, visible, and network-driven. A younger supporter may share a nonprofit’s work, advocate for its mission, or create a fundraiser before making a personal financial gift.
What influences Gen Z’s giving decisions?
Family members, friends, peers, and online communities play an important role. Research found that 57% of Gen Z supporters say family or peers help shape their giving decisions.
How can nonprofits attract Gen Z donors?
Nonprofits can create multiple ways to participate, communicate through personal and shareable stories, provide simple social-sharing tools, and offer peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities. Younger supporters should also be included when these strategies are developed.
Does crowdfunding compete with nonprofit giving?
Not necessarily. The research found that 91% of Gen Z crowdfunding users also gave to registered nonprofits. Crowdfunding may help introduce younger supporters to broader charitable giving.