Throughout my years working with United Ways, one of the most common questions we get asked is, “How do we get younger donors?”

The simple answer is to tell them what they need to know.

In the past, marketing your United Way as the trusted, one-stop shop to giving was what donors needed to know to feel good about donating to United Way. Donors wanted an organization with a fantastic reputation, that could vet agencies for them and make sure the most good was being done in the community.

And while Gen Z and Millennials do want to give to organizations with good reputations, that is not what will make them give or volunteer. For the most part, Gen Z and Millennials don’t care how long you’ve been in the community or the fact that United Way has a long track record of responsibly distributing contributions. The younger generations’ number one concern is your answer to one question, “Why do you exist?”

Younger donors want to know what your “Why” is and what you are going to do to create impact. They want to support an organization that is making impact on a social issue that they are passionate about and can become involved with, not just donating to the idea of general good.

So, if your United Way wants to start attracting younger donors, you need to be able to express a clear reason why you exist.

If your United Way focuses on education, income, and health (or some variety thereof), try selecting one issue within those categories that you can rally younger donors around. For example, you could create a Young Leaders Society focused on third-grade reading. You could communicate the importance of this issue and offer volunteering opportunities such as reading to classrooms of children or becoming a reading tutor. This will give younger donors a clear idea of what their contribution and volunteering are doing in the community.

The other thing you can do is select a single issue for your whole United Way. Many United Ways have decided that the reason their United Way exists is to impact a pressing social issue in their community. When a United Way becomes issue focused, their marketing and call to actions become much clearer to your donors, specifically younger donors. By selecting a single issue for your whole United Way, younger donors will be able to tell what the “Why” is without having to search for it, because everything your United Way does is focused on impacting and communicating that issue.

Answering the question of why your United Way exists isn’t an easy task. But it is one that is important to tackle as it will not only help you attract younger donors, it will help set the direction of your United Way for years to come.