Exclusively for our clients, we’re providing FREE unlimited access to our new Life Stage Library® of content, which was developed based on the results of our scientific national survey of donors. This library contains hundreds of articles, editorial elements and graphics geared to the individual life stages of Americans starting as young as 40 years of age.

In addition, we have developed the marketing formula below to help you tailor messaging strategies specifically to your audience. To learn more about our research, please visit www.stelter.com/secretgiver.

• Our research validates the benefits of expanding your efforts to this generation and underscores the risks of neglecting this group.
• Forty-five percent of this group does not yet have a will in place and 75 percent have not been approached by a charity.
• They are the most open to including bequests in their wills and are putting financial and estate plans in place earlier than older generations.

• Stay the course with this age group.
• They are actively involved in comprehensive estate and wealth-transfer planning, for which you can be a valuable resource.
• This group is assisting children through their financial issues and helping grandchildren with education expenses.
• Supporting nonprofits is a way for them to help secure the future of the next generation.

• This group is the least likely of any age group to change their wills to include charitable bequests.
• Of those who have decided to not include a bequest, 95 percent say they are settled in that decision (versus 79 percent of the overall population).
• You can't afford to ignore this group, but our research shows why you will also need to adjust your expectations in terms of response to your appeals.

• It is essential to keep in contact with those who have identified themselves as bequest givers to your organization.
• Reinforce your mission and the need for continued support.

The formula described above serves as a starting point. Within the broad ranges we've prescribed, you'll likely need to further fine-tune who you select to target. While we've documented that age is a critical component in targeting donors, we also believe that loyalty should be considered when segmenting your donor list.

First, consider looking at how many donors you have older than age 40 who have made more than three gifts of any size. If you cannot afford to market to this entire group, consider further segmenting by loyalty and age. For example, target donors aged 70+ who have made three gifts and donors aged 40 to 69 who have made five gifts. You might also consider factoring in recency of giving— pulling out donors who have made five gifts, with one gift in the past three years.