While baby boomers currently favor supporting traditional Spokane area institutions such as hospitals and universities, a younger generation of givers is prioritizing social justice and environmental causes, often choosing to donate their time over money, some Spokane-area nonprofit leaders say.

Many nonprofits seeking to connect with younger donors — while navigating the largest wealth transfer in history — are relying on social media outreach and transparency to promote volunteer opportunities, says Capt. David Cain, of the Salvation Army Spokane Citadel Corps.

“New donors are saying, ‘I don’t trust big organizations or big brands, and I want my money to have an impact today,’” Cain says. “We’ve found that younger donors will give where they volunteer.”

Since the pandemic sidelined many high-risk retirees from donating their time on-site for health and safety reasons, a steady increase of college-age volunteers has filled the gap at the Salvation Army’s food banks and other facilities, he explains.

“We just cut that string, and we’ve never recovered the retirees that used to volunteer, but we’ve acquired new volunteers,” says Cain, adding that the current volunteer pool includes members of college fraternities and sororities and sports teams from area high schools and universities.

In 2025, individual donations accounted for 15% of the Salvation Army Spokane’s $12.5 million operating budget, with the remainder derived from state funding and service fees, according to data from the Journal’s Largest Social-Service Nonprofits list.

Many of those individual donations last year were provided by baby boomers, Cain says. Now, the Salvation Army is one of several regional organizations working out how to better reach Generation X, millennial, and Gen Z donors.

Colleen Fox, chief philanthropy officer at Spokane-based Providence Inland Northwest Foundation, says financial supporters have traditionally been older individuals, while younger donors have provided support by donating their time.

Fox attributes an uptick in volunteering to the rising cost of living. 

“Younger generations tend to be much more motivated to give up their time, and volunteerism is something that we're really focused on,” Fox explains. “How can we partner to engage younger generations in volunteerism? Because that really seems to be what motivates (younger generations’) charitable giving as well.”

Younger donors generally are more motivated to support grassroots, social justice, and environmental causes, while baby boomers have typically provided financial support for traditional anchor institutions including hospitals and universities, Fox says.

Providence Inland Northwest Foundation supports the operation and upkeep of six regional hospitals and clinics, recently contributing to a $42 million modernization project at the Providence Heart Institute, at 62 W. Seventh, in Spokane.

Of about $11.5 million raised by the foundation in 2025, over half came from individual donors, the majority of which was comprised of gifts exceeding $5,000, Fox says.

Large-scale contributions are often provided by baby boomers, who Fox says are in a unique position to give generously, due to their financial status and firsthand understanding of the health care system's importance.

Both Cain and Fox agree that social media has been helpful in trying to reach younger donors, but those platforms also come with some drawbacks.

“Across all generations, social media is not a great way to bring in donations, but it's a really powerful tool if we're telling the stories,” Fox says. “We really try to highlight different donors of different generations, including some younger donors, because when people can see themselves in a donor, it tends to connect.”

While the Salvation Army still receives donations through direct mail, particularly from older donors, leaders are exploring other unconventional online donation options — even accepting cryptocurrency, Cain explains.

At Providence Inland Northwest Foundation, modern outreach strategies include text-to-give campaigns and programs such as the Teen Board, which gives high school students interested in philanthropy opportunities to learn about nonprofit management and fundraising, Fox says.

Beyond just modernizing the way people donate through text-to-give or cryptocurrency, some leaders are also working to change the mindset of young givers regarding the impact of small donations.

At Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery —where individuals accounted for 57% of 2025 funding — executive director Amy Knapton Vega encourages young people to start with modest, regular donations that build a significant "return on investment" for the community.

Vanessa Behan provides emergency child care for an estimated 7,000 children a year. The organization employs 70 full-time staff members and works with about 85 active volunteers who support children from newborns to 12-year-olds while providing parental assistance and abuse prevention, Knapton Vega says.

"What people are doing in giving back to their community is truly an investment," says Knapton Vega. "The return on that investment looks different than it might in your 401(k), but it does absolutely have a return on investment in our community."

For those seeking to leave a lasting legacy, Knapton Vega recommends the Innovia Foundation’s 5% Campaign, which encourages older donors to pledge 5% of their estate to support future philanthropy in the Inland Northwest.

Despite the different missions of nonprofit organizations, many leaders are reaching a common conclusion: building trust through hands-on involvement is an essential first step for any generation of donor.

Knapton Vega emphasizes that the best way to support a nonprofit is to start small with volunteer work, which helps establish trust and ensure the organization truly reflects their values.

“There's lots of ways for our younger generations to start getting engaged so that they can build that trust with the organization, and so that they know where they're putting their money really reflects their values,” she says. "Just start somewhere, and whether it's your time or your funds, everybody can do something.”