Ask And Ye Shall Not Receive

Brandweek,  July 3, 2000  

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Long the prey of unscrupulous scamsters, matures have begun telling fundraisers don't bother knockin', says Yankelovich Partners, Norwalk, Conn. But it's not just bunco artists who are suffering from this tightening of the purse strings. Matures have become more sensitive to unsolicited requests for donations from non-profit groups and corporate sponsors, too.

Aside from being wary of con artists, matures, increasingly are beginning to view unsolicited donation requests as an invasion of privacy. They still donate more often than other demos: 75% of matures with incomes of $40,000 or above contributed to non-religious charities in the last year, ranking way ahead of other generational segments (boomers: 66%; Xers: 48%). However, older donors appear to feel more invaded by the solicitor's wily ways.

Here's how the groups responded when Yankelovich asked, if various solicitation methods were an invasion of privacy

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