Rules for charitable fundraising differ from province to province and state...
Millennials are the new…
Well, they’re just the next generation who’s donating.
You already know the standard stats about their short attention spans and how often they’re on social media those facts.
But how do you get Millennials to starts supporting your raffle?
Let’s look at three Millennial giving behaviours and relate 'em back to raffles.
First piece of advice — don't be this guy. (Perhaps don't be us either, using a 10+ year old meme... Our argument? A classic is a classic.)
1. Millennials donate through workplace initiatives
Millennials participate in a culture of giving when their employers are confident in and direct about causes they support.
Plus, Millennials are motivated by what other people are doing, including their coworkers.
46% of Millennials say they’ll donate to a cause if their co-worker asks them to.
A fun, high-impact employee giving option is an Employee payroll 50/50 draw.
Employees can opt-in to buy raffle tickets every week for a chance to win half the jackpot. The other half supports a cause that aligns with your organization's values.
At the risk of sounding corny... 50/50s are a win/win. Literally.
Check out how Medicine Hat & District Health Foundation raises $10,000 or more monthly with their bi-weekly employee payroll 50/50.
That’s $5,000 for an employee to take a vacation, pay off debt, save for a goal… Whatever seems fit. Then, the Foundation gets the other half for services and equipment that support community health. It’s a good news story for both parties. And we love good news. (And parties.)
2. Millennials react to urgency
A study by payment app Zelle found that when the pandemic hit (yes, that one), Millennials gave financial support to family, friends, and non-profits more than any other generation.
So, why did they show up?
It's not because there are more Millennials who tend to support fundraisers (in fact, only 60% of Millennials claim they do charitable giving vs. 72% of Baby Boomers).
And it's not because Millennials give more (actually, Baby Boomers give 3x more money than Millennials, on average per year.)
It's this: Millennials are mobilizers.
They see an immediate need and react to it with a quick donation, no matter how big or small.
Classy's Why America Gives report says "next-gen" donors (which they define as Millennials and Gen Z) are 1.6x more likely than "traditional" donors (Gen X and Baby Boomer) to make a donation following a crisis in the news cycle.
And with that said...
3. Millennials need to engage with a group multiple times before committing to their cause
According to studies like this, Millennials gain trust and then commit to causes through many small touchpoints.
In the fundraising world, it's called stewardship, and it can be as big as sending someone a lavish gift hoping they'll make a major donation.
But no matter how big or small your fundraising goals, you can build trust and grow your supporter pool by:
• Sending an email
• Commenting back and forth on a Facebook post
• Selling someone a raffle ticket (because you have one of those running in the background, right?)
These little engagements add up. All of a sudden, someone who knew about your cause but wasn't super engaged is buying raffle tickets and sharing your raffle link every week.
🔥 Hot tip: Be clear about your cause, especially during these small touchpoints.
What does your charity need more funds for and why is it urgent?
Make it clear how every raffle ticket purchase makes an impact using pictures, data points, and real life testimonials.
As Millennials see your social media posts, emails, raffle promotions, and more, you’ll build a two-way relationship with long-term potential.
4. Millennials prefer instant, shareable ways to donate
75% of Millennials do online giving (and we're sure you don't need a data report to confirm that number continues to grow. Fast.) To them, it's key that making a donation is quick, easy, and that they can show everyone they did it.
"Millennials value opportunities to make small impacts more often. 39% of Millennials say they’ve donated to a cause via the easy-to-use fundraising platform, GoFundMe, and 46% of Millennials donated to a cause via a social media platform."
- The Millennial Impact Report
Millennials also value their social influence.
By being loud and proud about causes they care about, Millennials show they believe part of supporting charity involves spreading messages via social media.
According to the 2021 Future of Philanthropy Report, 43% of Millennials encouraged their connections to donate to a cause, and 40% of Millennials donated after hearing about a cause on social media.
So what's a high-impact, low-effort way to create an easy, shareable online donation option?
Raffles.
No fuss. Super easy. Then, once your donors buy their ticket, they can copy the link and share it wherever they want, helping you spread the word and grow your donor base.
Make raffles part of your fundraising game
So, how’s that for inspiration? Raffles are a simple, self-serve way Millennials can give as little or as much as they want to your cause – and as often as they want. Plus, there’s always that chance they’ll win big. And like we said, we love a good news story (and so will your donors.)
Ready to raffle? Reach out and we'll send a platform overview:
