Last year I started writing a memoir. This probably sounds laughable to some people reading this. I mean, seriously, what could she possibly have to say that would be interesting for 350 pages? Well, quite a lot as it turned out. So much so that thirty thousand words in, I decided it might be better to abandon it as work of non-fiction, as if it ever made its way onto a bookshelf, I’d probably be sued.
The basic premise of what I was calling ‘Generation Misfit’ remains profoundly fascinating to me and is something I want to explore, because it’s as relevant to philanthropy as it is to every other area of life. Of course, it’s a question that has been asked before, but I’d like to use this platform to pose another one. How much longer can charities afford to ignore Generation X and our unique experience?
We know there’s a whole cohort of people sandwiched between two noisy groups whom nobody seems to think are worthy of investigation, so let’s talk about them. And not just for thirty seconds please, before moving the conversation swiftly onto Millennials and Gen Z as if they were a catch all collective for ‘Next Gen Giving’. Gen X is currently the generation most likely to volunteer, join a board, attend a fundraising event, share a charity post on social media and influence a family member to give. It seems to me it’s worth focusing on this 14 million strong group who are now at the peak of their earning power and are the first in line to inherit Boomer wealth and property over the next decade. It’s worth considering a group of people who not only include some of the biggest cultural influencers of our time, but who also lit the spark for some of its most powerful movements.
And because I am Generation X – and fairly typical of the species – I thought I’d do this in a characteristically cynical and irreverent style that you are welcome to take with a pinch of salt, but also with the knowledge that underneath the humour, I am making some important points.
So who are we?
Born between 1965 and 1980, our invisibility continues to baffle. It’s not as we’re all shrinking violets, right? We grew up feral and phoneless. We were young and carefree in the Nineties, having spent the second Summer of Love belting down the M27 in a Volkswagen camper van looking for where Grooverider was playing, and the decade that followed, living in a state of arrested development. It’s often said that Gen-X has more resilience and tenacity than most and they’re not wrong. We survived Boomer parenting (non-existent as a concept), education under the threat of the cane and life with a latch key in our pockets. When the internet was being dialled up via a noisy cable we didn’t whine, we stuck with it, mostly because we wanted to get onto Popbitch. Some of us even tinkered around with it and built major corporations.
And what’s different about our giving?
I’ve read articles that divide Gen X up into a game of two halves, with one side being more Boomerish and the other more Millennial. Being an awkward kind of fit, I’m bang in the middle, but I think this is what is what fundraisers need to understand about us. We’re a hybrid. A loveable mongrel who’s a bit scrappy but will show great loyalty once we trust you.
Come on. Impress me.
The most important thing to understand is the hyper independence and scepticism of this generation. Gen X is forged out of a cauldron of freedom and neglect. Yes, we were allowed to ride our bikes until dark and build dens in the woods, but for many of us, our parent’s idea of meeting our emotional needs was giving us a colouring book to keep us quiet so Dad could smoke his head off in front of Grandstand. This was entirely normal and did not require analysing. For many Gen X-ers we need to see the goods before we believe anything and we won’t necessarily run with the pack. Gen X donors will do a lot of research before making decisions. We want to see something tangible and deliverable, so fluff won’t cut it.
The MTV Generation
Your website matters to us because we’re really visual. When the Thriller video came out, we barely left the living room for days. We want to see engaging content that’s current, frequently updated and looks sharp. We still like email and we don’t need gimmicks to hold our attention.
The Power of Place
For Gen-X, who grew up very much IRL, belonging is firmly routed in a place, it’s not a concept. This has interesting implications for place-based giving. We already know that Gen X donors are far more likely to give to causes local to them (interestingly we also give more prolifically to animals and children than any other generation so maybe we’re less cynical than you think). Our focus is narrower than other donor groups and we will always choose the quality of an experience over its quantity, because our formative years were not governed by the quest for likes, but by the glorious mantra of ‘see you on the dancefloor’.
Social Influencers
Gen X has a lot of influence both on and offline, particularly women, who have blazed a trail for a lot of freedoms and we’re not about to roll over and be quiet now. After all, when we were born our mothers had only just been given permission to hold their own line of credit and, as for anyone mentioning the menopause, they would have been dismissed as hysterical and told to go and get the tea on.
As much as I am a little over watching middle-aged women apply their make up on Instagram whilst delivering crucial life lessons, there’s no question that this group has major reach and will be a mouthpiece for your cause if you engage them. Many may be looking after elderly parents as well as children who can’t afford to leave home, so will have multi-generational influence. Ignore us at your peril.
Tax-efficient giving
Most of us are still working and so tax-efficiency matters. As the group with the highest income, 42% of Gen X donors in the US have indicated that a gift’s tax-deductible status is a big motivating factor. Whilst the tax breaks in America are certainly far more favourable, I find it hard to believe that this desire does not translate across the Atlantic.
Legacies
For anyone who follows me, I have written about my own experience of this before, but it’s worth reiterating. Research has shown that Gen X are making wills later than their Boomer parents (yep, it’s that arrested development thing again – everything happened later for us). Some hopeful types – having ridden the shockwaves of the financial crash, Brexit, Trump, the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis, now Trump again – are waiting for ‘things to settle down a bit’ before making legacy decisions (good luck with that one). However, what is patently clear is the time to be engaging these people is now. Additionally with 18% of all Gen X women child-free and potentially asset rich, there are opportunities here of real mutual benefit.
Most UK charities will have databases full of Gen X donors who are giving at a mid-value level and who soon will find themselves in the fortunate position of being able to contribute so much more. Yet the zeitgeist still seems to be trained on engaging donors in their 20s and 30s who have no wealth. It seems to be the question isn’t simply how much longer can we ignore Generation X, but, in the cadence of Chandler from Friends, how many twenty-five-year-old major donors do you know? The social issues we’re facing are too great and too pressing for a pool that small.
