Giving Compass' Take:

• Gloria Horsley the behaviors of Gen Z donors and what they mean for the future of philanthropy, a concern that should be shared by donors from every generation. 

• How will Gen Z either disrupt or impact the philanthropic sector? How can donors from other generations best support the efforts of up-and-coming philanthropists? 

• Read about how one next-generation donor is making a difference. 

In the time that I've been running my nonprofit organization, I have seen a couple different generations emerge in the workforce and society to influence how we work and live. These new generations each have their own perspective, which I see as critical information to understand in order to engage them as donors and volunteers.

The newest generation is called Generation Z, and it has many differences to address in marketing, communication and engagement when compared to previous generations.

The members of this generation were born in 1995 and after. The oldest ones are just starting college or finishing high school. Their parents are Gen Xers and millennials, who faced the last big recession while raising their Gen Z kids. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, they are considered to be the most diverse generation.

This generation has been exposed to many issues at an early age, including terrorism, school violence and global conflict. From my perspective, all of this has taught them to be able to adapt more easily to situations, be more resilient and have more of an interest in social change.

Statistics point to the fact that, although they are careful with their money, Gen Zers do like to donate and get involved in social issues. The 2017 Global Trends in Giving Report noted that Gen Z is interested in giving to many different causes.

The top causes include youth, animals and human services. It illustrates that, no matter what generation it is, people give to the causes that mean the most to them. The same report notes that Gen Z attends more fundraising events and donates more often to peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns and to nonprofits located outside of their country than millennials or Baby Boomers.

Read the full article about Gen Z donors by Gloria Horsley at Forbes.