Baby Boomer research helps charity fundraising

A report on Baby Boomer consumers produced by fundraising specialist DMS is urging charities not to ignore changes in the UK demographic make-up and to be prepared to overhaul fundraising.

The report details that today there are 16 million Baby Boomers in the UK, but in 10 years' time Baby Boomers will have 90 per cent of the UK's disposable income.

So it is imperative that charities quickly come to understand this growing demographic who are so very different from previous generations.

DMS and (sister agency Whitewater) have carried out in-depth focus group and desk research into the Baby Boomer consumer market, referring to people born between 1946 and 1964, to identify the most effective methods for charities to reach and cut though the marketing noise to communicate with this new potential donor base.

The report also states that charities have had approximately 20 years of successful growth fuelled by direct marketing, direct mail, DRTV, face-to-face, telephone and even online, and through these channels, charities have successfully been able to bring in a steady source of income at a healthy return-on-investment.

However, over recent years the recruitment and retention of donors has become more challenging as a generation of highly responsive donors are starting to die out.

Guy Harris, Managing Director at DMS, stated: "Traditional supporters were predominately female, born before the Second World War, and were fondly known to fundraisers as Dorothy Donors.

"In their place, the Baby Boomers are reaching ascendancy, and are demanding a very different approach from charities".

Early indications from the report suggest that it is not easy to turn theoretical advantages into actual support for charities.

The type of charitable cause, approach, and messages need to be specifically tailored using a variety of new approaches if charities are to reach this media-perceptive, individualistic, wealthy group of consumers.

DMS is the leading fundraising and Baby Boomer specialist direct marketing agency in the UK.

It is part of the UK's largest independent marketing group, The Direct Marketing Group, which includes; DMS, Millennium, jda, Whitewater and DMPrint.

Combined annual turnover is in excess of GBP50 million.

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