How to Close the Generation Gap in the Fund-Raising Office

April 2, 2008 | Read Time: 2 minutes

The tensions between young fund raisers and older ones are deep in many nonprofit offices, but the generation gap can be closed with a few relatively easy steps, said speakers at the annual meeting of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, which wrapped up in San Diego today.

One key difference between the generations is that baby boomers prefer to work independently and assume that their staff members feel the same way. But younger employees are comfortable with a high level of oversight and would prefer more guidance, said Amie Latterman, development director at the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association.

“You can never talk too much to younger staff,” said Ms. Latterman, ,herself a member of Generation X (those born from 1965 to 1979).

Ms. Latterman also said that younger staff members are more productive if they are involved in the decision-making process from start to finish. Rather than being told to set up a special event, for example, they want to be engaged in discussing what kind of event to have and what goals it will accomplish.

“It can take a lot of time, but it really pays off,” she said. “Everyone understands the goals and objectives, and the schedule you’re on.”

A young fund raiser in the audience said that being involved in decision-making often enables her to be more creative in solving problems. Rather than feeling she must follow orders, she said, she feels that she can try new approaches.

Ms. Latterman said baby boomers also can help younger employees in the following ways:

Define and teach the skills younger employees need to do their jobs well, and evaluate them on their mastery of those skills.

Articulate how they make decisions and get other employees to do the same as they are grappling with a particular problem, so that younger members can learn from such reasoning.