In a reading published on the Candid site, Steve Froehlich and Woodrow Rosenbaum present a different perspective on understanding Generation Z's giving; this generation does not appear as a delayed audience for nonprofits but as a present force reshaping generosity through trust, stories, digital engagement, and various forms of support that go beyond monetary donations.

What do nonprofits need to understand about the generation that is reshaping giving?

For a long time, a ready-made image of Generation Z has formed: a generation that raises its voice for causes, interacts quickly with events, fills platforms with stances, and then hesitates when it comes to donating. However, new data compiled by GoFundMe and GivingTuesday puts this image under serious review. This generation is not satisfied with merely expressing interest and is not waiting to become the 'donor of the future.' Its presence in giving has already begun, with broader forms than the traditional conception of generosity.

The findings indicate that Generation Z participates in giving at high rates, whether through nonprofits, direct support for individuals, volunteering, advocacy, issue sharing, peer mobilization, or donating materials. Here, the meaning of generosity changes: it is no longer a singular financial act, nor a relationship that begins and ends at the donation button. In the same context, it has become a digital, social, and human practice, moving within close trust circles and connecting to the daily stories that young people see and interact with.

This reading provides nonprofits with an important lesson: reaching Generation Z requires expanding the definition of giving itself, as someone who participates in a campaign may be a donor of attention, and someone who invites friends to a cause may be a contributor to building trust, and someone who volunteers their time may be building a deeper relationship than a fleeting donation. Therefore, measuring engagement through money alone is insufficient.

Generation Z participates in giving at higher rates than older generations

The data reveals that Generation Z, despite often being in age stages with lower incomes, surpasses older adults in every form of giving measured, with over 70% of participants from this generation stating that they engaged in some form of giving during the week prior to the survey, and about 43% of them donated money, compared to about 65% and 39% among other adults in the same indicators.

These figures suggest that generosity is not only related to the amount of available income, and there are other elements that influence the decision: identity, belonging, proximity to the cause, and the feeling that the need cannot be postponed; when a young person sees a clear story, a comprehensible impact, and a simple way to participate, their contribution becomes possible even if their income is limited.

On a broader level, Generation Z's giving does not stop at money. Conversely, donating items, volunteering, advocacy, participating in fundraising campaigns, and inviting others to join are all forms that move outside the traditional donor files. Nonetheless, these practices impact resource transfer, expand attention, and mobilize support within communities.

From this perspective, nonprofits need to reconsider the meaning of an 'engaged donor' since not every engager is a person who donated through a donation page; sometimes an engager is someone who opened a window of trust, shared a story with a new circle, donated time to the cause, or helped make it visible.

Generation Z's giving is personal, relational, and immediate

Generation Z's distinctiveness is evident when compared to older generations in advocacy, informal giving, direct support for individuals, and volunteering; these are not side details but indicate a different model in building relationships between youth and organizations.

This generation tends to prefer giving opportunities that have clear human characteristics and wants a specific story, an understandable need, close connections to the community it cares about, and an imaginable impact; it responds more to sincerity than to general rhetoric, to visible effects more than distant promises, and to direct relationships more than cold institutional language.

The question that drives this generation is not: What is the name of the organization? The closer question is: Who will change their reality? Why now? How does my small contribution connect to a tangible outcome? This shift requires organizations to make the individual present within the message, not to place them on the sidelines behind terms and procedures.

Often, the journey of generosity for Generation Z starts from a person, or a story, or a friend, or a post, or a relatable stance, and the institutional brand is not always the starting point but presents a true opportunity for organizations to transform that swift moment into a deeper relationship, without extinguishing its sincerity or complicating it.

This does not mean that Generation Z is opposed to institutions, but the meaning is more precise: the institution is required to clarify its relationship with individuals; an organization that communicates in a sincere language, with a fast rhythm, and a clear impact can build trust with a generation accustomed to discovering causes, verifying them, and sharing them in real-time digital environments.

Social sharing transforms generosity into a multiplied force

Among the notable results is that Generation Z tends to make its support visible and its members are more willing than others to declare their support for community group activities, nonprofit organizations, and independent funding efforts; the data indicates that Generation Z supporters are ten times more likely than the baby boomer generation to share their donations on social media.

This desire to show support is not just a digital display; when someone shares a cause, they are not just announcing a stance, they are opening a door for their network to care, understand, and take action, allowing generosity to flow within the digital environment through personal trust: a friend shares a campaign, a colleague adds context, a community member contributes, and then the circle expands.

From this perspective, sharing turns into a multiplier of impact and can attract new supporters, raise awareness, and help gather additional resources.

It also lowers the entry threshold for those participating for the first time; someone who is not ready to donate today may be willing to share the campaign, and those who share today may donate later, becoming volunteers, advocates, or ongoing supporters. Therefore, it is not enough for the organization’s cause to be important; it needs to be easy to discover, clearly understood, shareable, and positioned for action.

In this respect, Generation Z does not move along a long and complicated path; it needs a simple entry point and then a clear path to deeper engagement.

Crowdfunding may deepen Generation Z's relationship with organizations

There is undoubtedly a familiar concern among some nonprofit organizations: do crowdfunding platforms, such as the popular American platform GoFundMe, siphon support away from institutional work? The presented data provides a different answer: users of crowdfunding platforms from Generation Z are 16 percentage points more likely to donate to nonprofits compared to those who do not use these platforms.

This finding changes the perspective on crowdfunding. It is not necessarily a competitor to the organization; it might be an early entry point into a broader relationship with the issues, as a person who supports a campaign for a neighbor or relative may carry a genuine interest in the larger issue behind that need. And those who also donate to a treatment campaign for someone they know may be open later to interact with an organization working on that disease or supporting those affected by it.

In the same vein, someone who participates in a community campaign may be willing to advocate, volunteer, or join a larger movement. The first act does not tell us everything, but it reveals a readiness that can be cultivated if the organization reads the moment well.

The more pertinent question is not: Will Generation Z choose informal giving or giving through organizations? Data indicates that many combine both paths, and the more important question is: How does the organization build a smart bridge between individual empathy and institutional commitment?

What does that mean for engaging Generation Z?

For nonprofits, these results confirm that Generation Z does not move in a straight line toward donation; it lives a broader journey of generosity that sometimes starts with sharing a post, supporting someone, a short volunteer stint, or engaging with a story, and can then develop into a sustainable relationship.

Reaching this generation requires a different design for the experience, making participation possible before, during, and after the donation. Contributions should not be limited to money; stories need to be shareable, the impact needs to appear quickly and convincingly, and informal support requires a pathway to gradually evolve into a deeper relationship with the organization.

It also demands treating advocacy, peer mobilization, volunteering, direct support, and monetary donations as interconnected behaviors; these are not separate doors, but rather different forms of people's presence regarding issues that matter to them.

Organizations can harness this energy when they go to the digital and social spaces where Generation Z exists, giving true value to the first act and then opening a natural path to larger contributions. They should not underestimate the importance of small beginnings, as they may lead to a lasting relationship.

Generation Z is reshaping generosity through trust, relationships, social visibility, and digital engagement, and nonprofit organizations have a clear opportunity: to build their presence across the full spectrum of giving and make participation, donation, volunteering, and mobilizing others connected pathways toward long-term support.

Translation and editing adapted from Candid, based on data from GoFundMe and GivingTuesday.