How Gen Z gives: why younger people give directly
People say younger generations don’t give. The numbers say they do. They just give differently: smaller, faster and more often straight to a person.
Gen Z gives more often than you’d think
In research from GoFundMe and GivingTuesday covering early 2025 to early 2026, over 70% of Gen Z said they’d given in some way in the past week, compared with 65% of other adults. That includes money, time, sharing a cause and helping people informally.
They’d rather give to a person
The same research found Gen Z furthest ahead of other adults in giving directly to individuals and in informal giving. That isn’t new. In a 2020 GivingTuesday survey, 76% of people aged 18 to 34 said they prefer to give directly to individuals in need rather than through organizations.
Why it looks different
- Small amounts. Five or ten dollars at a time, sent from a phone, instead of a big yearly check.
- Friends go first. Nearly 60% of Gen Z say family or other people shape where they give.
- Trust has to be earned. Younger donors are quick to stop giving if they lose trust, so they want to see where the money goes.
- Sharing counts. Reposting a friend’s goal is a way of giving too.
Ways to give that fit how you live
Send a few dollars to someone’s goal. Split $20 across several people. Share a goal you believe in so it reaches people who can give more. For more ideas, see pay it forward ideas for $20 or less.