Baby boomers are replacing older donors as the generation that gives the most to charity, according to Blackbaud’s recent Next Generation of American Giving study. The study in May looked at the charitable habits and communication channel preferences of Generation Y (born 1981–1995), Generation X (1965–1980), baby boomers (1946–1964) and “matures” (1945 and earlier), and how differences among the generations affect their charitable behavior.
Boomers accounted for 43% of total giving, while the “matures,” who’ve led the pack in their charitable habits, accounted for only 26%. And the foreseeable future belongs to boomers, the study acknowledges. Currently there are 51 million baby boomer donors (34% of the entire donor base) in the nation, compared with 27.1 million “matures,” 39.5 million Gen Xers and 32.8 million Gen Yers.
Moreover, 72% of the boomer population contributes to an average of 4.5 charities each. And with the youngest just under 50, they’re expected to weigh in strongest among the age groups for the foreseeable future.
