# Generation Impact: How Next Gen Donors Are Revolutionising Giving

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/books/generation-impact-how-next-gen-donors-are-revolutionising-giving/
- Published: 2020-10-20T16:31:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Gen X and Millennial philanthropists will be the most significant donors in history,
in terms of both the scale of wealth they will give away and the ways they intend
to give it. **

Sharna Goldseker and Michael Moody spent years talking to this generation of donors
from the inside, and their findings have profound implications for every fundraiser,
charity leader, and foundation seeking to engage the next wave of major givers.

The great wealth transfer is already under way. Over the coming decades, an estimated
£5 trillion will pass between generations in the UK alone, and the Gen X and Millennial
inheritors and earners who will control much of it have a very different relationship
to philanthropy than their parents and grandparents. They are more hands-on. They
give earlier. They think in terms of impact rather than reputation. They are willing,
sometimes determined, to use tools that cross the boundary between charity and investment.

And they are frequently impatient with traditional fundraising approaches, institutional
relationships, and the social rituals of conventional major giving.

 * [**Buy the book**](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119746404?tag=219)

## Over 300 interviews

_Generation Impact_ is the definitive account of this emerging philanthropic generation.
Drawing on over 300 in-depth interviews with major donors aged under 50 from across
the United States, Sharna Goldseker, herself a next gen donor and the founder of
21/64, a leading family philanthropy consultancy, and Michael Moody, holder of the
world’s first endowed chair in family philanthropy, offer an unprecedented insider
view of who these donors are, what motivates them, what frustrates them, and what
they want from the charities and foundations they support.

Their findings are both clarifying and challenging. Next gen donors want impact (
measurable, demonstrable, unambiguous impact) and they are sceptical of organisations
that cannot provide it. They want relationships, not transactions.

They are more likely than previous generations to combine charitable giving with
impact investing, direct advocacy, and social entrepreneurship. And they want to
feel like genuine partners in the work, not passive funders of someone else’s agenda.

## Fundraising book prize

The updated and expanded edition (winner of the AFP/Skystone Partners Prize for 
Research on Fundraising and Philanthropy) adds practical best practice guides for
nonprofits and fundraisers, making it directly applicable to UK charities seeking
to engage with this generation.

An appendix specifically addressed to nonprofit professionals and fundraisers is
included. While the data and case studies are predominantly American, the generational
attitudes and philanthropic values Goldseker and Moody document are visible, and
increasingly influential, in the UK context too.

## **About Sharna Goldseker and Michael Moody**

**Sharna Goldseker** is the founder of 21/64, a nonprofit practice specialising 
in multigenerational and next generation philanthropy. A next gen donor herself,
she is widely regarded as the leading expert in the field and has created widely
used tools for helping philanthropic families define their values, build governance
structures, and plan giving across generations.

**Michael Moody** holds the Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy at the
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University, the
world’s first endowed academic chair in family philanthropy. He is co-author of 
_Understanding Philanthropy_ and _[The Philanthropy Reader](https://fundraising.co.uk/books/the-philanthropy-reader/)_.

## **Reviews**

> “Generation Impact is THE defining resource on the subject of how this rising 
> generation is transforming philanthropy.”
> **21/64 Network**

> “Philanthropy is changing, and with it, the world. Generation Impact demonstrates,
> with data and vivid personal stories, that Gen Xers and Millennials are aligning
> their values, their giving, and their lives. This is a must-read book for anyone
> concerned with the future of philanthropy.”
> **Peter Singer, Princeton University;
> author of _The Most Good You Can Do_**

> “Today’s emerging generation of donors are driven by a new definition of success:
> impact. For anyone eager to understand the next gen donor, this book offers truly
> valuable insights.”
> **Howard W. Buffett, Columbia University**

> “Goldseker and Moody have produced a sorely needed, clear-minded view of how Millennials
> and Gen-Xers approach giving — an honest look at next-gen philanthropy told with
> well-written, real life examples. A must-read.” 
> **Leslie Crutchfield, co-author
> of _Forces for Good_**

## Related books on UK Fundraising

 * _Participatory Grantmaking in Philanthropy_ (Gibson et al.) for the funder perspective
   on power-sharing;
 * _[The Most Good You Can Do](https://fundraising.co.uk/books/the-most-good-you-can-do-how-effective-altruism-is-changing-ideas-about-living-ethically/)_(
   Singer) — endorsed here by Singer himself — for the effective altruism philosophy
   that shapes many next gen donors;
 * _[It Ain’t What You Give](https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/04/07/it-aint-what-you-give-its-the-way-that-you-give-it-making-charitable-donations-that-get-results/)_(
   Fiennes) for the UK evidence-based giving perspective.