News : All Things Reconsidered

All Things Reconsidered Details

author image

Generational Divide + Digital Divide = Missed Opportunities

Sharon Schneider is Philanthropic Director at Foundation Source, the nation’s leading provider of support services for private foundations... Read More Here...

This morning I tweeted "Capturing screen shots of new online application system for client to show board. Ironic, but they want it printed out to look at."
Jeff Bundy, a nonprofit CIO, tweeted back "lemme guess... non-profit? ;)"
He's right, of course.  I think this points to two issues that routinely combine to the detriment of many nonprofits.  There is both a generation gap and a digital divide between the staff and the board working at most nonprofits.
  • The Silent Generation lived in a nuclear family and were influenced by the Great Depression and the Second World War. The New Deal at home and victory over fascism abroad was a clear demonstration of our national values as a force for good in the world. They respected their leaders and the great institutions of their day.
  • The Baby Boomers were protesting (or fighting in) Vietnam, fighting for civil rights and "women's lib."  They experimented at Woodstock and lost faith after Watergate. They dropped out of formal religion and they formed their own institutions like the National Organization for Women and Greenpeace.
  • The Gen-X'ers saw the rise of AIDS as "the gay disease," whereby millions of their peers were demoted to less than equal citizenship.  They were told "Just Say No" by laughably out of touch governments. They learned to question the meaning of the word "is" after Bill Clinton told them there was some room for negotiation.  They are often considered cynical (although as an Xer myself I prefer to think of myself as skeptical).
  • The current generation of Millennials were coming of age around the 9/11 attacks.  Their schools don't feel like a safe haven after the Columbine massacre in 1999. They live their lives in the public eye, seeing people become famous after a stint on reality TV or a video on YouTube. The government is more than out of touch--after the Iraq war, it seems like government is the problem rather than the solution.

Most organizations include members from several generations, but nonprofits have potential problems brought on by generational differences that are unique.* 
Marketing to potential new members and donors is a common problem--older generations don't understand the way that Millennials and some Gen-Xers truly live online. Boomer fund-raisers still include envelopes in their print newsletters so that their donors can mail them back a check (raise your hand if you're over 30 and still somewhere around check #150. Yeah, me too.). Millennials can often forget that older generations have far more money to give to charity and more time to volunteer and need to be courted, too.  Many larger gifts still come in the form of a hand-written check, and your most loyal supporters may not have a Facebook page.
To much of my mother's generation, especially those who left the work world before the Internet became ubiquitous, the online community is like the Wild West.  There is no guarantee of authenticity, just scams behind every Nigerian prince.  They've watched a hundred Dateline specials about online predators and identity theft and they certainly aren't going to put their personal information out there for everyone to see, no matter how much they like you.

I'm not saying every person over 50 is a Luddite, but it is worth remembering that social networks and online communities are not the only place to find passionate, dedicated people with time, money and influence who will support your work. 

*If you need help improving communication between generations at your organization, check out the work of 21/64 and it's leader, Sharna Goldseker.

Sharon Schneider is Philanthropic Director at Foundation Source and author of The Philanthropic Family.

 

  • Comments (3)
  • Email This
  • facebook_share_icon del_icio_us Newsvine StumbleUpon

<< Prev : The degree of knowledge... | The Real Loss in the Fi... : Next >>
Add your comment:

   



Comments
article image Sharon Schneider Says

Thanks for your comments, Michael and Martin. I'm interested in what people think: do nonprofits face special or different problems as a result of the digital divide or do all sectors have the same issues just manifested in different ways?

Debate Comment
article image Michael Grimes Says

Interesting post; and I agree, with Martin: the problem is much wider. I've recently been pondering the best way to bridge the digital divide (here in the UK there's a debate about 'digital mentoring'), and the virtue of the prevailing view that the grass is necessarily greener on the digital side (http://tinyurl.com/44wz5q).

Debate Comment
article image Martin Smith Says

@SharonSchneider - Interesting blog...the generational divide on social media is huge for not just non-profits but large businesses as well. We often have meetings where a senior decision maker will defer to a 20 something year old just cause they don't understand social media.

Debate Comment
1