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by Barlow T. Mann
Some planned giving marketing efforts take a “one-size-fits-all” approach by exposing their entire constituency
to the same message using the same medium. The goal
instead should be to target the right people with the right
messages using the most appropriate media at the right
time in their lives.
For instance, planned giving programs with a large
donor base and experienced staff often find it more economical
and productive to target specific subsets of the
larger group of potential donors through multiple communication
channels. Personal visits, group meetings and
events, telephone contact, direct mail, ads, articles, e-mail,
Web sites, and other approaches all have an appropriate
audience and role.
Generational clusters
Consider the ever-changing pool of planned giving
prospects age 65 and older. Every year a new set of people
reaches this demographic milestone. Grouping persons
born within various time frames allows for the creation of
“generations,” which are bound together by certain common
experiences. These different generations are actually
made up of many different sub-groups, but the threads of
commonly shared experiences help to collectively shape
each generation.
Exploring older generations
Let’s consider some of the generations in more detail.
One group, “the oldest old,” would include those persons
age 100 and older. Those few persons who have survived to
100 are the last members of the “Depression Era” adults.
Census reports estimate that these centenarians could
number around 100,000 in 2010. It is not uncommon for
members of this group to have memories of relatives who
were born in the early 19th century and may have even
fought in the Civil War. This generation’s life experiences
have paralleled the explosion of technical innovations,
from early flight to unmanned landings on Mars. Nevertheless,
they are still more likely to relate to a pocketknife
than a pocket calculator. While many organizations can
claim a few donors who are among the survivors of this
generation, for the most part they have completed their
years as donors.
Following closely behind this group is what is known
as the “World War II Generation.” The Great Depression
and World War II were the primary formative events
impacting their lives and the world in which they were
children and young adults. The youngest members of this
generation are now in their early eighties. Over the past
several decades, this older group has been the source of
most of the planned gifts actually received by America’s
charities. Recent IRS studies indicate that more maturing
gifts still come from people in this generation than
from any other group. Note that an American Council on
Gift Annuities (ACGA) study reported that nearly half of
gift annuities are completed by persons over the age of
80. One program completing over $5 million per year from
an average of 200 annuities found both the average and
median age of new gift annuitants last year was 82.
The youngest of the older set
Members of the “Silent Generation” were born between
the late 1920s and the final years of World War II. Those
in this demographic subset were younger children during
the Great Depression and their adolescence occurred during
or in the years immediately following the Second World
War. Many in this group grew up amid stories detailing
the financial collapse that took place in the years before
World War II—family farms and businesses lost to foreclosure,
masses of people out of work, bank closings—and
the sacrifices the war demanded. They may also have lost
older siblings and neighbors, parents, or relatives in World
War II. They then came of age during America’s ascension
to superpower status in the 1950s.
Those born to this generation were originally dwarfed
by the World War II and Boomer Generations. Today, they
outnumber the Depression and World War II survivors
combined and now compose the core prospective donors for
many planned giving marketing efforts today. Members of
the Silent Generation range in age from 65 to 80 with life
expectancies of from ten to twenty years, and as a whole tend
to be healthier and more active than older generations.
Generation-based marketing
In applying the concept of generation-based marketing
to the world of planned giving, some lessons may be
borrowed from Madison Avenue. However, these lessons
should be implemented carefully and with sensitivity.
To be more effective in communication efforts, try to
understand those events that helped shape and define a
particular generation and apply them within the context of your mission. It is also essential to subdivide the “senior”
or “mature” market into the distinct cohort groups that
comprise the older population.
Sharpe senior strategy
For example, most of the elderly “Depression Era”
adults are not prospects for new current or deferred gifts.
Planned giving officers should instead devote their time to
stewarding any known bequest expectancies in the centenarian
category. Suitable contact may include an occasional
personal visit or written correspondence. It may also be
appropriate to communicate with these donors through
advisors, family, and other caregivers. Keep in mind that
the 100+ age range will be one of the fastest growing segments
in coming years and not one to be ignored.
Serving the oldest seniors
The youngest members of the World War II Generation
are now in their eighties with the oldest approaching
the century mark. This generation was the first to travel
broadly and thus is likely to have a wider range of
acquaintances and experiences than their predecessors.
They still enjoy receiving mail, and print is thus still an
effective medium for most in this group. In the near term,
this generation will continue to be a primary source of gift
annuities and the bulk of bequests received will come from
them. Often, estate plans are revised and updated after
the loss of a spouse or the diagnosis of a serious illness
by persons in this age cohort. Because of the sensitivity of
such subjects, planned giving marketing should be service
oriented and, if in doubt, understated.
Silence is golden
The Silent Generation is primarily comprised of those
age 65 to 80. This group is critical to bridging the gap
between the World War II Generation and the Boomers.
The older members of this generation may have much in
common with their siblings in the World War II Generation.
The younger members of the Silent Generation may
have more in common with the Boomers. In fact, birth rates
actually began a slow rise in the mid-1930s, culminating
with the Baby Boom in the late 1940s. From a marketing
and communications perspective, it may be most effective
to include older Silents with communication channels previously
targeted to the World War II Generation and use
the younger Silent members age 65 to 70 as a “shift point”
for messages and media aimed at older Boomers.
The goal when designing communications should be to
make references to which your constituents of various ages
can more easily relate. This also includes typefaces, colors,
and design formats that are more familiar and accepted
by relatively older and younger groups. Acknowledging generational cohort experiences and preferences may be
an effective way to bridge generation gaps that might
otherwise hamper the effectiveness of your communication
efforts.
Matching media with messages
Matching the audience to the appropriate media will
continue to grow in importance. For the foreseeable future,
many traditional older planned giving prospects will continue
to respond best to print, telephone, and personal
contact. After all, these were generations that sent and
received handwritten letters for most of their lives, communicated
mostly in person and via telephone, television,
and radio, and continue to prefer communication through
these media.
E-mail, social media, and other media that have gained
broad acceptance in recent years should be reserved for
the most part for younger audiences.
In times of more limited resources, consider generation-based marketing as a valuable concept to assist you
in reaching the right people at the times when they are
considering various gifts to support your organization. By
more carefully matching your message to the intended
recipient, the likelihood of a favorable reception is greatly
increased.
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