Generation Impact, Updated and Expanded Edition

CHAPTER 5The “Do Something” Generation

In Part One, we introduced the giving revolution that Generation Impact wants to lead, and demonstrated how that revolution was about changing the ways big donors give. In Part Two, we explore three of these ways in more depth—three ways next gen donors want to go “all in” in their giving: giving their time, giving their talents, and giving with peers.

Ask next gen donors—like we have—to describe bad philanthropy and their answer will likely include something along the lines of “just writing checks.” The next gen want impact, first and foremost, and merely giving money is not the best way to achieve real impact.

For these rising donors, good philanthropy is hands-on, engaged philanthropy. It involves donors giving their time as well as their treasure. Good philanthropy also means donors cultivating close relationships with the organizations they fund, seeing firsthand the impact of their gifts of time and money, and being able to ascertain what organizations really need. Put simply, next gen donors believe that getting close to organizations helps them be both better and bigger donors. Engagement is their path to bigger impact.

Get Out There and Do It

People in their twenties and thirties in the United States today grew up at a time when they were constantly encouraged, if not mandated, to volunteer and engage in community service.