What do Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z have in common? 4 Things That Matter When Donating to Charity
December 15, 2022
There have been a lot of things written about the differences between these heavily stereotyped generations of Gen X, Gen Z, and Millennials. Despite their differences, our 2022 Happy Money Giving Survey uncovered some similarities amongst these groups ranging in age from 18 to 56.
Four details that rose to the top when asked, “What is important to you when considering what charities or causes you donate to?” were:
- Works with orgs that they care about
- Personally affected by the topic
- Donation matching dollar for dollar
- They get to choose how donations are used
The overlap is understandable as these factors include how the charity relates to them personally as well as ensuring transparency for how their money is used. Those are both things that we can get behind – check out 6 Questions to Ask Before You Donate Money to a Charity for even more tips.
The two younger cohorts in our survey – Gen Z and Millennials – continued the overlapping trend across a few more factors.
- 34.9% of Millennials and Gen X donated multiple times to causes they care about in the last 12 months.
- 13.4% of Millennials and Gen X set aside a specific amount of money from their paycheck to donate to causes they care about.
- 32.6% of Millennials and Gen Z donated to social causes that benefit human services.
But there is one area where opinions started to differ slightly.
- 33% of Millennials find volunteering their time to be more impactful rather than donating money. While Gen Z is evenly split between which form of giving they find to be most impactful.
Regardless of your age, income, or other descriptors, giving can be a very impactful thing for any individual. It’s all about finding the right charity for you and having a plan to get there.