Nonprofits are still trusted by more than half of U.S. adults (57%) but leaders must connect better with Gen Z adults who are more skeptical of the industry and unaware of some entrenched organizations, according to data in a new survey of consumers.
The 4,000 respondents to “The Trust in Nonprofits” survey — including Baby Boomers (ages 58-67), Gen Xer (42-57), Millennials (26-41), and Gen Zers (10-25) — were asked to choose the nonprofits they trust most from a list of 50 pre-selected recognizable brands. Based upon net trust, the share of consumers who say they trust a brand to do the right thing minus the share who do not, the top 10 organizations picked by consumers were:
- Jude Children’s Research Hospital (81.8 out of 100)
- Make-A-Wish Foundation (80.65)
- American Heart Association (74.94)
- Special Olympics (73.67)
- American Red Cross (71.57)
- American Cancer Society (71.47)
- Shriners Hospitals for Children (71.4)
- Habitat for Humanity (71.09)
- Ronald McDonald House Charities (69.61)
- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (67.02)
The “Trust in Nonprofits” survey and analysis was conducted by Morning Consult, a research and technology firm in Washington, D.C. The nonprofit survey data was a breakout report within a larger report on the “Most Trusted Brands 2022” across the automotive, food and beverage, travel, and health industries. Morning Consult selected for the survey 50 nonprofits that it deemed had strong name recognition and represented an array of causes.
Survey analysts pointed out that the leading two nonprofits are nearly tied for trustworthiness. St. Jude Research Hospital ranked highest overall, but Make-A-Wish Foundation ranks as the number one brand among nonprofits for Gen Z adults and Millennials, as well as for higher-income earners (those in households with $100,000 or more of annual income).
Survey data suggested to analysts that environmental groups need to do a more diligent job of capturing a broader spectrum of advocates. For example, a “stark reality” for the Sierra Club (founded in 1892) is that only 48% of Millennials and 44% of Gen Z adults have heard of the organization, compared to 79% of Baby Boomers and 62% of Gen Xer’s, the survey points out.
“Environmental nonprofits are some of the worst-performing nonprofit brands in terms of trust. No environmental nonprofit falls into the top 50% of the most trusted brands rankings. These nonprofits suffer from two major issues: low awareness and partisan divisions that depress the reputation of these nonprofits,” according to the report’s authors. The researchers asked respondents to rank the Environmental Defense Fund, National Geographic Society, National Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund but did not reveal their overall rankings.
Baby Boomers have a far higher trust level of nonprofits than Gen Z adults, with Baby Boomers reaching an average net trust score of 60 and Gen Z adults scoring an average net trust of 33. On average, the survey showed, the youngest generation is less aware of the nonprofits tested. Just two of the 50 nonprofits tested are more trusted by Gen Z — the American Civil Liberties Union and Equal Justice Initiative — but for both those organizations, net trust was just 3 points higher with Gen Z than with the public overall.
“Lower awareness creates a major challenge for nonprofits as they consider engaging with Gen Zers, a generation already inundated with ads and marketing – and skeptical of them all,” report analysts wrote. Yet, Gen Zers also responded that they are as willing as Millennials and Baby Boomers to donate goods and products during the next year.
The survey can be accessed here … https://bit.ly/3HrO5W7
