The holiday season is known as a time of giving—giving to friends, families, employees, coworkers, and the community. We’ve all heard some form of the adage about how the giver of the gift benefits as much as the receiver of the gift—and perhaps nowhere is this more true than in the realm of corporate social responsibility.

“Remember who you are and what you stand for!”

I can’t be the only one who heard my mom’s voice in my head as I read that… right? Maybe, like me, being told to “remember who you are and what you stand for” by my parents was a part of every high school outing. Today, that encouragement has shifted to more people asking of their favorite brands: Who are you and what do you stand for?

Customers Care

Comedian Bo Burnham referenced this shift in consumer behavior (albeit satirically) when he joked: “The question is no longer, ‘Do you want to buy Wheat Thins?’ For example. The question is now, ‘Will you support Wheat Thins in the fight against Lyme disease?’

Whether you’re Wheat Thins or not (or fighting Lyme disease or not), picking a unifying cause that resonates with your customers is a powerful way to raise brand awareness and loyalty… and to do some genuine good in the world.

How should a brand select a cause or nonprofit to support? Where is the best place to give? There are countless worthy causes, but as with so many aspects of business, this really comes down to authenticity and knowing your customer.

Your clothing company could focus on using environmentally friendly dyes, or using American-made textiles, or donating a portion of profits to local pet shelters. Any of these initiatives would be great, but you can see how each approach might resonate more with an entirely different group of passionate customers.

While a wide variety of demographics, interests, and behaviors among your customers undoubtedly influences this choice, The BYU Marketing Lab turned to a recent study we ran through our “Culture Flows” program. “Culture Flows” is an ongoing service we offer that takes a deep dive into communities businesses are considering entering to understand influential trends, patterns, and attitudes of the area. This latest installment showed notable differences among nonprofit support simply by consumers’ age.

How Age Influences Nonprofit Support

Respondents were asked: If a company or brand you liked decided to support a nonprofit, which causes from the list below would you approve of?

[Nonprofits included: ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), Black Lives Matter, Boy Scouts of America, Equal Justice Initiative, Focus on the Family, Habitat for Humanity, NRA (National Rifle Association), Planned Parenthood, Salvation Army, Sierra Club, Smithsonian, UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund), United Way, World Wildlife Fund, Wounded Warrior]

Key insights:

·        Those aged 18-34 were significantly more likely to support nonprofits like Black Lives Matter and Planned Parenthood over those in every other age group. (This group’s top approved nonprofits were, respectively, Black Lives Matter, UNICEF, and Planned Parenthood.)

·        Meanwhile, nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity, Wounded Warrior, and Salvation Army topped the chart for overall support across all age groups.

There is an apparent difference in (at least perceived) political leaning of the nonprofits supported most by those sampled in the 18-34 group as opposed to those supported by the older age groups.

When identifying which nonprofit(s) to stand up for (and give to) as a brand, the right selection will be made after involving your customers in the decision and avoiding a nonprofit that may be polarizing to those in your swing group. That said, knowing just your core customers’ age may be enough for a helpful head start.

This data is helpful in illuminating the fact that nonprofit support does vary by age—and likely by other factors as well. To make the best decision for your brand, you will have to understand your customers—what they value and what they stand up for—as well as what might alienate them.

With this understanding, your brand will be better equipped to “remember who you are and what you stand for.” And, perhaps more importantly, you can help make the world a better and brighter place this holiday season and throughout the year.