blog: Green matters to donors

Building Relationships, One E-mail or Recycled Postcard at a Time
Part 1: Research shows being green matters to donors

Preserving the environment…cutting down on direct mail costs…creating a more sustainable operation in your organization... If these aren’t compelling enough reasons to adopt earth-friendly policies in your office, then take notice. Going green can create more meaningful relationships with your constituents and ultimately boost donations. Just how big of an effect does going green have on your relationships with donors? Research shows — quite a big one.

A 2009 Mintel study found that, in general, nonprofit donors place a significantly higher importance on preserving the environment than the average American who doesn’t donate. Nearly 70 percent of donors believe that packaging and direct mail should be recycled, and more than half believe that people (and organizations) have a social responsibility to use recycled products.¹

Mintel also found that highly educated adults are more likely to be serious environmentalists and more open to changing their lifestyles to support those beliefs. In fact, college graduates are more than 30 percent more likely to always or almost always invest in or purchase from environmentally-friendly organizations and corporations than those without degrees.² For our higher education clients with a community made up almost exclusively of college graduates, creating and incorporating a green initiative into your mission is crucial to maintaining loyal support from your donors.

Current students and recent graduates, a traditionally difficult group to engage, may be the most critical group to target with green messaging. Research indicates that 51 percent of 18-24-year-olds fall into the “Super Green” or “True Green” categories, defined by Mintel as consumers who regularly, almost always, or always shop and invest in green organizations. An overwhelming 70 percent of this cohort believes it is “very important” for organizations to support environmental causes.² This group places a significantly higher importance on environmentally-friendly policies than the average American adult, so as you look for ways to reach out to young donors or alumni, understand that incorporating green messaging into your mission is vital.

From using recycled paper products to completely phasing out direct mail in favor of online communication, there are countless ways to go green in your organization.

¹Charities of Choice, Mintel, March 2009
²Green Marketing, Mintel, May 2008