We Must Make Technology Match Donors Expectations
I often joke that I am “Mr. Non-Techie” I came of age professionally before mobile phones were smart, before online giving portals, and long before anyone talked seriously about digital donor journeys. The first computer I used was the ONLY one in the library in my elementary school, around 3rd grade. My first personal use computer was more a glorified typewriter with a screen in early high school. I was the FIRST student to use a laptop computer (no disc drive at all) in law school.
Yet even people like me have to adjust, because the world around us has changed and philanthropy has not always kept pace.
For profit companies figured this out years ago. Buying something today is almost effortless. You can see an ad, tap your phone, confirm your payment, and be done in seconds. The process is intuitive, fast, and designed around how people actually live. Every barrier has been examined and stripped away. Fewer clicks. Less friction. Clear choices. That did not happen by accident. It happened because companies understood that if buying felt hard, people would simply move on.
Philanthropic giving is not immune from that same reality. Younger generations have grown up in a world where ease is expected. They bank on their phones. They order food on their phones. They manage their lives on their phones. When they are inspired to give and the process feels confusing, slow, or outdated, the moment passes. Interest does not always convert into action, not because they do not care, but because we made caring too complicated.
Making giving easy does not mean making it shallow. It means respecting the donor’s time and habits. Mobile based webpages are a starting point, not a nice extra. Most younger donors interact with the web almost entirely through their phones. If your giving page is hard to read, slow to load, or clunky on a mobile device, you are quietly telling them they are not your priority.
QR codes are another simple tool. They allow instant connection from a printed piece, an event sign, or a conversation directly to a giving opportunity. No typing long web addresses. No searching. Just scan and act. That mirrors how people already move through the world.
There are other practical steps as well. Simplify forms so donors are not answering unnecessary questions. Offer digital wallets that allow giving without pulling out a credit card. Provide clear confirmation and immediate thanks so donors know their gift mattered. None of this is revolutionary. It is basic customer experience thinking applied to generosity.
If we want young donors to give, we have to meet them where they are. That means adapting our systems, our expectations, and sometimes our own comfort levels. Even Mr. non techie can see that making philanthropy easy is not about chasing trends. It is about removing obstacles so generosity has room to show up.
