Youth give time instead of money

By FAYTHE REEVES, Staff Reporter |

Instead of sending a large sum of money to a charity, millennials and generation Z students choose to give time by volunteering and participating in charitable events to see the impact they are making immediately.

Activities and events paired with a small donation are what draw in most people from younger generations into giving to charity according to Corby Fails, the marketing manager at Panhandle PBS. 

She also said that while millennials and generation Zs give less from a financial standpoint, they do not hold back their money out of stinginess or a lack of caring about the needy and less fortunate.

“Younger generations want to participate in philanthropy, they just don’t have the monetary funds to do so as older generations would,” Fails said. “They do want to invest their heart into it and just a little bit of money, so they’d rather participate in a small event where, for example, they donate $5 and go walk their dog for a mile.”

Thomas Bales, a music composition major, said that he would rather do volunteer work for charities so he can see the results of his efforts. 

He also said he likes to see the plans for where the money is going because some charities misuse their donations by giving too much money to the top executives or spending their donations on trivial things that do not truly help their cause. 

He said he is also wary of donation websites that could be a front for scams. “I don’t want a generic answer like, ‘Oh, it goes toward the cure for cancer.’ I want to know what group you’re paying to research it, how much of your income actually goes toward the cause and what your positive impacts have been,” Bales said.

Sporadic, emotionally-charged giving is common among younger generations, according to Fails. Taylor Allen, a graphic design major, said that she is a sporadic giver because donating is not something she is confronted with daily.  

Although, she said she only gives if she is randomly shopping somewhere and the cashier asks if she wants to donate, she said she will give in the future. 

“Generosity is sometimes forgotten and most people, like myself, could use a friendly reminder of how fortunate we are and how important it is to keep giving,” Allen said. “It’s important to stay humble, but also to support what you believe in for the chance of making a difference.”