Friends was thrilled to celebrate the success of the Give!Guide campaign with 151 other nonprofits whose tireless work benefits our community. We were especially pleased with the level of giving among donors under the age of 36. With 120 Give!Guide donors in this group, Friends had the most out of all participating nonprofits in the environmental category, resulting in an additional $1,000 in prize money. The only other year we won among 35 and under donors was in 2017, directly after the Eagle Creek fire, when support for our Gorge protection work was at its most urgent.
According to our last member survey, 88% of our supporters are 55 and older, and it’s true that this age group tends to be the biggest and most loyal donors to nonprofits like ours. We depend on these valuable members every day to sustain our work. However, it’s also true that if we don’t grow our younger members and supporters, we won’t be able to sustain our membership base into the future.
That’s why we’re so grateful to the Willamette Week Give!Guide for its emphasis on small-dollar donations from donors of all ages. It’s critical that we further the giving habit and build a culture of active citizenship among young professionals and college students.
What explains this surge in support for the Gorge coming from donors in their 20s and 30s?
Friends is putting in extra effort to attract younger members, supporters, and activists which appears to be yielding results. A key factor in our success this year is the newly created Seral Society, a next-generation support group for Friends’ work.Spearheaded by Whitney Dawson, the Seral Society, named after the young seral forests that emerge following fires, was created in 2018 to capture rising interest in Gorge protection work from folks under the age of 40.
The Seral Society worked closely with Friends on the December 2018 Portland edition of our quarterly traveling Gorge on Tap event, expanding outreach efforts and bringing in new faces. They also designed a creative new icebreaker activity that encouraged attendees to engage more with one another and made the event more appealing for those who came solo.
In 2019, the Seral Society hosted a happy-hour event at Look Long Brewing that targeted young professionals interested in learning more about the critical Gorge protection work that often plays out behind the scenes. The Seral Society designed Gorge-themed lawn games such as giant oil train Jenga, Gorge Towns to Trails hopscotch, and salmon-themed cornhole.
Seral Society members have also been raising awareness for Gorge protection work by tabling at events, serving as social media ambassadors, and documenting their car-free hikes on Instagram.
Want to learn more?
Friends’ members may join the Seral Society if they are under the age of 40; all others are welcome and encouraged to attend Seral Society events. If you have an idea for the Seral Society, or would like to get more involved, please email seralsociety@gorgefriends.org.Award photo by Sophia Aepfelbacher; hikers photo courtesy of Whitney Dawson of Seral Society.