An urgent appeal with emotional content is the best way to get a donation from a Gen Z in the Occasional Superhero mindset. They like to give money where they know it is needed and will be used to make immediate impact. 

Example Spotlight:

When war broke out in Ukraine in early 2022, Save the Children launched their Ukraine Appeal. They drew in the support of the Occasional Superheroes by using real images, stories, and voices of refugees. They also stood out to this group by showing them exactly where their money was going and updated them on how many Ukrainians had been helped.    

Challenge: How are you going to add a sense of urgency and fast impact to your cause to engage Occasional Superheroes in donating?

While Gen Z don’t volunteer as often as they campaign and donate in the Occasional Superheroes mindset, they will with the right opportunity. In this mindset they will give their time to volunteer when they see a strong, immediate need and know that they can make a direct impact. Although you can’t always plan for when a disaster or crisis will happen, you can be ready to target Occasional Superheroes to volunteer when they do. 

Example Spotlights:

 In 2021 tens of thousands of non-medical volunteers signed up to help with NHS Covid-19 vaccination drives. Together they volunteered over two million hours of time towards directly impacting public health and the course of the pandemic in the UK. Volunteers were able to sign up for ad-hoc shifts with 

Currently, the biggest risk for natural disaster in the UK is flooding. In the winter of 2019-2020 when the country saw an influx of floods, the British Red Cross stepped in to help the community. Volunteers rose to meet the need through actions such as going door-to-door to check on vulnerable community members or delivering sandbags. It is at crisis points like this when Occasional Superheroes will step up to volunteer.

Getting Gen Z to campaign in the Constant Champion mindset is all about making it personal. In this mindset they support a specific cause because of a personal connection or specific life experience, so let them use that to campaign for you. 

Could you...

• Allow someone to add the name of a loved one to an In-Memory list for signing a petition?

• Build a Instagram story template that is easily customisable?

• Give them an opportunity to be an official ambassador for your charity?

A viral challenge is the best way to get them engaged in fundraising when in the Crowd Follower mindset. Make it something fun that they won’t want to be left out of, or leverage the power of influencers and celebrities to draw them in.

Example Spotlights:

Tik Tok influencer J.T. Laybourne partnered with the American Heart Association and used his following to raise $300,000 in just a few days. Overall, he helped raise nearly $1 million by using his TikTok following. Who contributed in this fundraising effort? Likely many Zoomers in the Crowd Follower mindset. 

The 2014 #NoMakeUpSelfie Instagram challenge for Cancer Research saw women posting makeup free selfies on the platform and challenging their friends and family to do the same for various levels of donations. In just one week the trend went viral and raised over 8 million and was able to fund 10 new cancer trials. Famous faces including Beyonce, Rihanna, and Cheryl Cole joined in, which is always influential with Gen Z. 

When Gen Z are in the Benefit Seekers mindset, they're less likely to donate. The best way to encourage them to donate is by offering them something in return that will add value to their lives - it should feel less like they're 'donating' and more like they're 'buying' something.

Example Spotlight:

For £7.50 a month, Mind sends out its Pause box – a monthly subscription box of cards and activities to encourage relaxation, creativity and reflection – to focus on and improve your wellbeing.

Challenge: Can you think of value your organisation could add to Gen Z to encourage donations when they're in the Benefit Seekers mindset?

In the Benefit Seekers mindset Gen Z are most likely to volunteer when you give them an opportunity that will be a good addition to their CV. This means providing and clearly showing how volunteer opportunities can develop leadership, teamwork, and other career skills. 

Example Spotlight: 

The Make-A-Wish Foundation offers a variety of skilled volunteer positions across the UK. Volunteers are able to take on opportunities including community leadership roles, wish coordinators, volunteer as interpreters, or join a structured fundraising team. These types of opportunities offer more value to a Benefit Seeker looking to enhance career skills than more common volunteer opportunities such as bucket shaking or staffing an event. 

Challenge: Almost all charities have some type of volunteering opportunity. Is there a unique CV building volunteer experience your charity can provide that others cannot?