Cutting through social media denial

Sometimes there are things we know factually, and yet somehow some part of us refuses to believe.

Here’s an example from the world of fundraising: Even fundraisers, who arguably should know better, champion efforts to engage with their existing donors on social media despite the fact that their donors are not there (with only two exceptions).

I was in a meeting the other day with a veteran fundraiser who looked shocked when I told them that  85% of their donors were not on Instagram (we’ve measured).  So here’s a chart from Pew Research Center. Tape this to your monitor or put it somewhere you’ll see every day until it sinks in.

To be clear, this is not the percentage of regular users. This is the percentage of folks who have ever used the platform.

The average donor in the U.S. is in their late 60s. The average midlevel donor is 70+.

Unless you have measured, you need to assume your donors are no different.

Social media is a wonderful way to engage young people, who may evolve into great donors when they, too, hit their 50s and 60s. With the notable exception of YouTube and Facebook, it is not a useful tool for engaging with the donors you have now.