The Great Wealth Transfer: A $124 Trillion Opportunity for Nonprofits
A historic $124 trillion is changing hands. Here’s how your nonprofit can prepare for the biggest shift in giving we’ll see in our lifetime.
Pat Duffy
A historic $124 trillion is changing hands. Here’s how your nonprofit can prepare for the biggest shift in giving we’ll see in our lifetime.
The Great Wealth Transfer is upon us. Over the next couple of decades, roughly $124 trillion is expected to move from Baby Boomers into the hands of younger generations – and with that shift comes one of the biggest opportunities nonprofits have seen in decades.
But the big question is: is your nonprofit ready for it?
This isn’t just about a lot of money changing hands. It’s a cultural shift that’s changing how people think about giving altogether. Between Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z, a new generation of donors is stepping up – and they have very different expectations about how, when, and why they give.
Just to put the scale of this moment into perspective:
If nonprofits like yours can adapt to these new realities, the next 20 years could represent the biggest growth window in modern fundraising history.
Quite simply, the Great Wealth Transfer is the massive handoff of wealth from Baby Boomers to their children and grandchildren.
Cerulli Associates puts the total figure at around $124 trillion – with around $18 trillion expected to go to charities – which gives you a sense of just how enormous this transition really is.
And it’s not just about the dollars. This transfer will bring in a whole new generation of donors who approach philanthropy differently than their parents or grandparents did. Where Boomers have written checks to familiar institutions, younger donors are looking for something more:
Long story short: if your nonprofit is still using the same fundraising playbook from 20 years ago, it’s going to feel increasingly out of touch to these newer donors.
Now is the time to rethink how you’re engaging supporters, how you’re telling your story, and how you’re using technology to meet donors where they are!
Historically, wealth transfers have reshaped economies time and time again. But what makes this one stand out isn’t just size, but rather the different mindset of the people inheriting that wealth.
Younger generations were raised amidst budding technologies, with instant access to information and global causes. So, they expect real-time impact updates, clear reporting, and genuine transparency from the organizations they support.
Traditional, one-size-fits-all fundraising just doesn’t resonate the same way anymore.
In other words, your nonprofit has a real choice to make: either evolve to meet the expectations of these younger philanthropists, or risk becoming less relevant as this transfer picks up speed.
The short answer? The ones that are willing to modernize and actively build relationships with younger donors.
The organizations most likely to succeed are already:
Now, donors want to feel like partners – not just ATMs. That means moving away from generic fundraising blasts and instead learning what is most important to each donor segment.
Yes, this takes investment: in tech, staff training, and even your nonprofit’s culture. But organizations that welcome these changes will be much better positioned to build long-term relationships with the new wave of givers – and hopefully grow their impact for years to come.
To build those relationships, it helps to understand how each generation approaches giving. Here’s a quick breakdown:
The good news is that technology can offer your nonprofit more ways than ever to meet these new donor expectations!
Tools like cryptocurrency donations, stock gifts, peer-to-peer fundraising, social media, and data-driven engagement strategies can help your nonprofit reach younger donors. And, you can do so in ways that feel relevant and personal.
But taking advantage of these tools requires being willing to experiment, adapt, and rethink your old fundraising habits.
Here’s where things get practical. If your organization wants to make the most of this historic moment, here are six areas to focus on:
A growing number of younger donors hold wealth not just in cash, but in cryptocurrency and stock. Fortunately, that wealth is often more tax-efficient to donate than cash – that is, if your nonprofit is set up to accept it.
For some inspiration, take a look at how the Rare Cancer Research Foundation is using their Donorbox-powered donation form to easily accept crypto and stock donations thanks to an integration with The Giving Block:
Get Started With Crypto and Stock Donations
If a potential donor googles your nonprofit right now, what do they find? Your online presence needs to do more than just exist. It needs to inspire donors to help!
One-size-fits-all appeals won’t cut it anymore. Donors want to feel seen and valued.
Younger donors want to know exactly how their money is being used – and they want proof!
You don’t have to be everywhere, but you do need to be where your donors are.
The more you understand your donors, the better you can engage them.
Take a moment to assess where your nonprofit stands with this readiness checklist:
If you’re nodding “yes” to most of these, your nonprofit is already well on its way to making the most of this incredible opportunity.
Wealth is shifting, and with it comes a new generation of donors who care deeply about making a difference, but expect nonprofits to meet them where they are.
Preparing for the Great Wealth Transfer doesn’t have to be overwhelming – and you don’t have to do it alone.
Donorbox gives your nonprofit the tools to connect with modern donors. From accepting cryptocurrency and stock donations to building automated, personalized donor journeys through its robust CRM, Donorbox helps you simplify giving.
Sign up today and position your nonprofit for success in this new era of giving!
The Giving Block, a Shift4 company, is the platform helping nonprofits fundraise more effectively from modern philanthropists. Pioneers of the “Crypto Philanthropy” movement, The Giving Block developed the leading solutions for cryptocurrency donations, taking crypto and NFT donations mainstream in the nonprofit sector.
The Giving Block’s team then developed a stock and DAF giving experience built to empower even more donors to give. When combined, The Giving Block’s product suite empowers more donors than ever to give assets to their favorite causes. Today, thousands of nonprofits are using The Giving Block to fundraise from modern philanthropists. Learn more about The Giving Block here.
Pat Duffy founded The Giving Block, a Shift4 company, with co-founder Alex Wilson, creating a new fundraising category they called “Crypto Philanthropy”. After building the leading crypto acceptance solution for nonprofits, Pat and his team developed the largest crypto giving platform for donors, raising over $200M for nonprofits and taking crypto and NFT donations mainstream.
Today, The Giving Block is the platform helping thousands of the world’s leading charities, schools, healthcare systems, and faith-based organizations fundraise cryptocurrencies, stocks, and Donor-Advised Fund grants more effectively from modern philanthropists, including Save the Children, United Way Worldwide, Feeding America, and St. Jude.
Pat was awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2022 in the area of Social Impact, alongside co-founder Alex Wilson, for their work at The Giving Block. He has also received honors for being one of the 100 Most Influential people in crypto, as well as The Kennedy Center’s Next 50 class of 2022. His company was acquired in 2022 by Shift4, a payments company doing over $250B in annual volume.
Due to Pat’s unique expertise in Crypto Philanthropy, he has been featured in Time Magazine, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, Associated Press, Coindesk, and CNBC, to name a few. His insights and the company’s ongoing research are further highlighted in The Giving Block’s 2025 Annual Report on Crypto Philanthropy.
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