Recently, I was hanging out with a friend, and the topic of United Way came up. They were talking about how United Way had come into their workplace and given a presentation and asked them to give. Curious, I asked if they had donated. The answer: No. I, much like you probably are, was curious why they didn’t give. This is a person in their late 20’s with a very established career who could give if they wanted to. When I asked why they didn’t donate, the answer came in two parts:

1. They didn’t know what United Way did

2. They felt they could direct their dollars to organizations they care about better than United Way can

When it comes to the younger generations, it is critical to understand that they need to know what it is your organization does. Telling them that you take their donations and redistribute them to other local organizations isn’t good enough for many younger donors, because they feel like they can spend their dollars better than an organization they don’t understand. Most younger donors know what they are passionate about and can easily go on the internet, find a local organization working on that issue, and donate to them. United Ways must give younger donors a reason to donate to them.

So, how could United Way win over my friend in the future?

The first thing United Ways need to do is to offer younger donors a chance to engage with United Way in a way that doesn’t involve a donation. Offering younger donors an opportunity to volunteer with your organization can help them develop an attachment to the work you do and offer a chance for them to become better educated about the work your United Way is doing. It is key to note: make sure the volunteering opportunity is for United Way, not a partner agency. When a younger donor volunteers with a partner agency, that is who they build the relationship with, even if United Way connected them with that opportunity.

The second thing you need to do is to determine “why” a younger donor should give to United Way, and the answer can’t be, “Because we redistribute your dollars to worthy local organizations.” Pick an issue in the community your United Way is tackling or a program your United Way is running and talk about that. You need to make sure that younger donors understand that when they give to United Way, something is accomplished that wouldn’t be if they gave to another organization.

One way that many United Ways have gotten younger donors to invest in them is by becoming issue focused. Issue focused United Ways select an issue that is prevalent in their community, set a goal to impact that issue, and then focus their resources and efforts on that issue. By becoming issue focused, United Ways are able to clearly answer the question, “Why should I give to you instead of someone else?” An example of how an issue focused United Way may answer this question is, “When you give to United Way, you are helping lift 3,000 families out of poverty.” This sentence will always be more powerful to a younger donor than simply being told that United Way vets local organizations and redistributes the money.

Younger donors are passionate about helping their communities. They want to make a positive change. What United Ways need to do is make it clear to younger donors that if they want to make the greatest change in their communities they should give to United Way.