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New Jersey’s free kitchens are seeing a surge in young volunteers wanting to help their communities, part of a national trend that’s proving surprisingly difficult for charities.
Data shows that today’s young people are much more likely to give generously of their time, but some data points suggest that they are not as willing to donate money as previous generations.
GivingUSA reports that while charitable giving is often tied to age and household income (older generations tend to have more leisure time and accumulate more assets for retirement), prior to 2016, older adults and younger adults volunteered at similar rates, at 33%. However, by early 2017, volunteering rates among millennials had reached an all-time high of 42%. According to U.S. Census data, the largest relative increase in volunteering from 2021 to 2023 was among people ages 27 to 42.
For now, Cathedral Kitchen in Camden, New Jersey, is doing well. But some charities are struggling to adapt to the new generation’s generosity.
Anyone can sit in the Cathedral Kitchen and enjoy a hot, chef-prepared meal, buy groceries from flea market stands, participate in social services, or even pick up a sandwich or grab-and-go meal. The kitchen is not just about serving food. Central to this nonprofit organization’s mission is to train people in need of careers in the hospitality and restaurant industry.
If there’s a crisis of generosity, especially among young people, as reported by outlets like Vox, The Associated Press, Giving Compass, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy, it hasn’t reached Cathedral Kitchen. Noreen Flewelling, CK’s senior development director, told USA TODAY that more young people than ever are volunteering in the kitchen.
Flewelling said Cathedral Kitchen has seen a 64% increase in the number of Millennial and Gen Z volunteers over the past few years.
The organization doesn’t track donors’ ages, but volunteers ask for their dates of birth when they sign up to serve meals, help with distribution, make sandwiches or pack to-go bags.
Different generations have different ways of donating.
Research shows that there are generational differences in philanthropy. According to a 2023 article in Nonprofit Tech for Good, older Americans, especially the silent generation and baby boomers, are responsible for about 70% of all individual giving. But that doesn’t mean Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z are any less generous than older generations, experts and those who work in the nonprofit sector say.
There are myriad reasons for the decline in young donors. The cost of living is high, as necessities such as housing, medical care, and food all take up a large portion of the budget. student loan debt. And a lack of well-paying entry-level jobs means there’s less money to part with.
“Individual donations are an essential and critical part of supporting our communities,” said Rick Cohen, chief operating officer of the National Nonprofit Council, the nation’s largest nonprofit network.
Young people are not always forgiving, he said. “They will start mutual aid groups where peers help peers. They want to do things differently and they want the money they donate to go further.”
Rather than donating to large national nonprofits, young people will donate to (or start) coat and clothing drives, local food pantries, and animal shelters in their communities.
But there are downsides to that, Cohen said. “We appreciate them doing this, but the money you might spend at a grocery store (a nonprofit organization), for example, that cash can go further than an individual.”
Cohen said fewer people are donating to charities and nonprofits, a challenge many organizations are facing, along with rising costs and reduced federal funding. Those who continue to donate tend to be wealthy and older, and Cohen said the pain could be severe if those donors backed away. So nonprofits need to broaden their donor base and adapt to changing demographics and giving habits.
Seek authenticity and engagement
One way nonprofits are adjusting is by tailoring their messages to the different ways young people choose to donate.
The Ronald McDonald House provides a place for families to stay while children receive treatment and provides a variety of services including sibling support, transportation, and meals. There are hundreds of Ronald McDonald Houses and “family rooms” inside medical facilities in the United States and around the world.
The nonprofit, which is not affiliated with the fast food giant (although McDonald’s was an founding donor and remains a major benefactor), recently launched a new campaign, “Family Stays,” to highlight the stories of families with children battling the health crisis. The goal is to attract new donors by showing them how their generosity impacts real people.
“What we know is that the number of people giving is decreasing,” said Katie Fitzgerald, global president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House. Although Ronald McDonald House has not yet experienced it firsthand, “we know this is a trend and are monitoring it closely,” she said.
What they do know is that peer-to-peer fundraising is most effective. So is showing young people tangible results of their donations. They share their family stories, engage with influencers, and profile volunteers on social media.
“We believe this will resonate with Gen Z and other young people who are looking for authentic engagement and authentic connection,” she said.
give your time and talent
One way young people find engagement and connection is through volunteering. Cathedral Kitchen’s Flewelling said one reason for the dramatic increase in volunteerism is that many of the large companies that call Camden and the surrounding area, such as Campbell’s Soup, Subaru of America and American Water, support their employees’ efforts to give back.
“Companies are telling us they are looking for ways to help their employees, such as making sandwiches in the office (or lending their skills),” Flewelling said. Campbell’s Soup employees are helping design Cathedral Kitchen’s 50th anniversary logo, and other companies are having managers come in for mock interviews and providing resume writing support to students preparing to enter or re-enter the workforce.
“These are unique opportunities to make a difference,” she said.
Ronald McDonald House has a marathon team. About 1,400 runners raised $3 million this year, compared to $2 million last year, Fitzgerald said.
“This is a generation that wants to get their hands dirty,” she said, and they are used to serving others. Many high schools and universities require and encourage volunteer work. Young people are also more likely to donate online through apps (such as McDonald’s with its “Round Up” feature) and vendors such as PayPal and Venmo.
Cohen said people “want to make change on a more personal, micro level and don’t always want to go through a larger organization with a larger footprint.”
“It’s making a difference,” he said. “Even if you help 10 people, you can make a big difference in the world for those 10 people. Not all changes in giving are bad. It’s just a different way of doing things.”
