Trendwatching has released its February report called "Generation Generosity" They sum it up as:
It covers a number of drivers of this trend, but what is most interesting to me is the "individuals" angle:
The most important driver behind GENERATION G is a wide variety of consumers and citizens being more generous. We're talking the collaborative / free / creation / crowdsourced / gift / sharing movement* that—especially online—has unlocked in entirely new ways the perennial need of individuals to be appreciated, to be loved, to feel part of the greater good, to contribute, to help... To basically find status and gratification in something other than consuming the most or the best.
Don't think this a passing phenomenon: younger generations practically live online, while over the last dozen or so years, virtually every prediction of how the web would infiltrate the 'offline' world has proven too conservative. As our favorite online guru, Kevin Kelly, rightly stated a few years ago: ‘online culture is the culture’.
So... Everything seems to have aligned to make generosity (“liberality in giving or willingness to give”) a leading theme in the business arena this year. As always, companies can learn from consumers, though it's not a 'want' but a 'need': companies need to mirror this societal shift if they want to regain their relevancy. We’re talking truly becoming a caring brand—one that is generous to customers, generous to employees, generous to the environment, generous to social causes, and so on. We know you know this: GENERATION G is more about context and timing than out-of-the-blue insights.The report goes on to offer eight broad tips about how corporations can be kinder and more generous to their customers.
1. CO-DONATE
2. ECO-GENEROSITY
3. FREE LOVE
4. BRAND BUTLERS
5. PERKONOMICS
6. TRYVERTISING
7. RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS (RAK)
8. (F)RIGID NO MORE
What does generation generosity mean for your nonprofit?
More from Neil Perkin
That report came as music to the ears of one of my clients/projects. Called "Generous" the site's been around for about four year, encouraging people to commit to a range of actions designed to help us all live a bit more generously.
One of the team posted some thoughts on the Trendwatching report at: http://generous.org.uk/news/124-generation-g-trend-identified
We really like the term "generous" to describe something that goes beyond a simple focus on being green towards an ethic that can inform all areas of how we live.
Posted by: James Stewart | February 07, 2009 at 01:28 AM
Thanks for posting my presentation Beth. I think the themes I express in it fit well with those of your writing
Posted by: neilperkin | February 08, 2009 at 05:22 AM
Thanks for putting into words what I've been thinking for years .. big High Five to this, Beth! I love the internet mainly for its honesty & promotion (forceful or otherwise) of honesty, kindness and giving. Plain & Simple ~ Be Scroogeful and you're out!
Posted by: Alison Lowndes | February 08, 2009 at 06:34 AM
Good stuff, a great read that will keep me thinking. Thanks
Posted by: Carrie Tucker | February 09, 2009 at 01:32 AM
Thinking more about cause marketing and social media and generosity
http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2009/02/tweetathon-jerry-lewis-meets-pbs-pledge-drive-to-sell-books-to-support-clean-drinking-water.html
Posted by: Beth Kanter | February 09, 2009 at 02:40 PM
Along those lines, a friend recently forwarded me the link to Tim Sanders' Love is the Killer App.
"Is love really all you need? Tim Sanders, director of Yahoo's in-house think tank, believes love is the crucial element in the search for personal and professional success. In Love Is the Killer App he explains why."
Posted by: Britt Bravo | February 11, 2009 at 12:40 AM
Great post. I believe the generation generosity concept is long overdue. Like they said "it's not a new concept". It just seemed to have taken a long time for people to really apply it. Hope it really takes off with more organizations and companies.
Posted by: Andie | February 26, 2009 at 04:12 AM
I'm so glad to read this today, because it seems I've caught the "bug". It's time to bring some balance by giving, but also by leveling the playing field by sharing. I'd like to see all of the extra stuff left behind by families who've rapidly vacated after a foreclosure donated to the former homeowner's local charities. Maybe that's just one way we can watch some good come out of such a tough economic climate.
Posted by: dmcconnell | March 13, 2009 at 01:32 PM
This report is a key asset to use in helping to leverage donor matches from corporation's marketing departments. Adding a corp donor match into a social environment is a win-win in this current economy for corp brand building.
Posted by: Ryan Quiel | March 13, 2009 at 01:41 PM