It is vital to any charity to have a broad donor base. The more
diverse your support base is, the more people you will be able to reach.
On Linkedin.com,
Holly Hall explores this issue and gives examples of how two charities
are reaching out to donors in their 20’s to 40’s. The Salvation Army and
the New World Symphony have created strategies to incorporate programs
to tie in younger donors.
Halls explains that, “In December the Salvation Army, with support
from Universal Studios, held a free concert for teenagers in Los Angeles
called ‘Rock the Red Kettle.’
The concert, which featured seven bands and tried to make the iconic
fund-raising kettle more hip, drew about 2,000 young people. Another
18,000 watched it online… The concert was a success even though it
raised only about $5,000 from attendees, says Major George Hood, the
Army’s national community-relations secretary.
“It was not a significant amount, but every kid who watched it will
not be able to walk past a red kettle and not put something in,” Hood
said. “The whole purpose was to expose young people to the Salvation
Army in an environment they enjoy.”
The New World Symphony also is creating concerts accessible to the
younger crowd. Among their outreach program are $2.50 half hour
concerts, free concerts in the park, fellowships for young musicians and
a “friends group” which allows young donors to participate in concerts
designed for them.
Another proven successful strategy is the implementation of
technology and social media. What 20-something doesn’t stay connected to
the world through e-mail, Facebook and texting? Keeping up with
technology trends, such as utilizing social fundraising tools is one of the most successful and easiest ways to reach and engage a younger and influential set of donors.
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