| Nonprofit organization leaders are facing the retirement of the baby-boomers, the wealthiest and most altruistic generation in the United States. For most self-sustaining nonprofit organizations, new donors are necessary for survival. Informed by the hierarchy-of-effects theory, this phenomenological study explored the financial giving-related marketing communication preferences of 27 Millennials (also known as the Y generation, born between 1980 and 1994) living in eastern Pennsylvania. The goal of this study was to determine what marketing communication channel is most likely to motivate Millennials to donate money. Data were collected through recorded interviews, which were then transcribed, conducted, and analyzed with induction of text transcription using different colored pens and analysis software. Emergent themes included channels that generate attention, further interest, and credibility; the most and least effective marketing methods; the reasons why Millennials give; and the reasons Millennials distrust marketing. These findings suggest that nonprofit organizational leaders who are pursuing this large potential donor base should note the dichotomy between the desire to make the world better and the underlining expectation for personal gain. Generating a higher percentage of funding from Millennial donors can provide a greater number of social services opportunities for the public that may create positive social change, including sustaining the environment and reducing human suffering. |
