A Twenty-Something’s Take:
How to Raise Money from My Generation

December 2008

Lily Traub, Senior Account Executive, Patron Technology

In our October edition of this newsletter, which focused on the economy, Gene Carr observed: “In these times, there's no better investment you can make than to shore up your engagement with those who have already bought in to your organization.” Not only do I agree with him, but I would also argue that this is a perfect opportunity to do this shoring-up with your twenty-something patrons, a demographic in which I myself belong.

I realize that this is probably counterintuitive — people in my age range are dealing with tight budgets even when our economy is thriving, and so they’re not prone to giving you their money when the perception is that they won’t be getting anything in exchange. But I’d like to tell you why I think that assumption is wrong.

First, as Gene wrote, when you focus on your existing audience, you know you’re soliciting donations from a group of people who have already expressed interest in or engaged with your organization. Now you just need them to demonstrate their support financially, and the key to raising money from my generation is to emphasize that “every little bit helps.” By doing so, you are in a terrific position to make your younger patrons feel more valuable than they have ever felt before.

Whereas my peers and I might have previously perceived a small donation as being meaningless to an organization, if you position the solicitation correctly — and segment your recipients so that this message is sent only to people like me — then we are more likely toview ourselves as able to make a difference in helping an organization we care about. But the crucial thing is that the message — that every amount helps, no matter how small — has to be communicated directly and strongly.

If you’re still skeptical, please bear with me as I share a couple of personal experiences to illustrate this point.

I am a member of the Theatre Development Fund (TDF), to which I pay a small annual membership fee and in exchange am able to purchase discounted tickets to various New York theatre events all year. The e-mail I received from them last week asking for donations caught my attention for its “we appreciate everything” approach. Phrases like “you are vital” and “please make a difference” were all in capital letters, a bigger font, and bold typeface.

The Executive Director, who wrote the letter, also acknowledged that it is not easy to donate in these difficult times. She said, “I know that this year you may need to make careful choices about your charitable giving, but I assure you that we are extremely appreciative of all the contributions that we receive, no matter the size… If all of our members act now and make a tax-deductible donation of $40, $60, $100, $200, or an amount of your choice, the impact will be immeasurable.”

This kind of language made me feel like my donation, as small as it may be, was still better than nothing — which is why I responded to it. I think this is the important message for all of us to remember: Any amount is better than nothing. If your patrons understand that, then I think they will be more likely to give what they can.

The second experience actually pre-dates the economic downturn. As you may know, Patron Technology participates every year in a fundraiser for Classical Action, which is an affiliate of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. As a result of my personal efforts for the 2008 event this past June, I was the top earner for our team with a total donation amount that exceeded $1,000, all of which I raised from friends using Facebook and periodic e-mails.

What I think is most enlightening is that I collected donations from over two dozen people, and most of the contributions were in the range of $20 to $25. This proves that a lot of small donations can quickly add up.

I believe this is a clear sign of what will happen in the world of development: My generation, people now in their twenties, will eventually become the primary arts audience. We are very likely to show our support in smaller increments but on a more widespread scale. I thought this before our economy took a turn for the worse, and so the only difference now is that “every little bit helps” is truer than ever.

Finally, we can all take a cue from the Obama campaign: Younger voters, many of whom had never donated to a political candidate before, made contributions to demonstrate their support. Many of these donations were small — the average donation in September was less than $100 — but the sum was great, both financially and in effect, since it was difficult to ignore the level of enthusiasm that Obama had inspired in a demographic that was previously apathetic toward the election process. This illustrates the potential strength of collecting many small contributions, and it also proves that my generation believes in the theory that a lot of individuals can make a significant difference if everyone does what he or she can.

And so, if this twenty-something’s opinion is at all helpful, I would encourage you not to assume that your younger patrons are unwilling to support your organization. As Gene pointed out, someone who is on your e-mail list or purchasing tickets on your Web site or attending a performance at your venue is a person who likes what you do.

Young or old, there is a strong likelihood that your active patrons will want to help you stay afloat in these difficult times, and the chances of their making that donation will be greatly increased if you simply tell them how much it will help.