Toward Charity Engagement of Generation Z: Do Gender and Economic Standing of Household Matter?

In Poland, non-profit organizations face challenges in attracting and engaging donors, especially of younger ages, in charity. The study explores factors such as gender and household economic standing of Generation Z’s representatives in order to determine charity engagement in the wake of the frequency, value, and channels of financial donations among Generation Z. A survey (CAWI method) was conducted among young people under 25 in Poland. Descriptive statistics and statistical tests were performed to analyse the primary data. Outcomes show that young donors mostly provide financial aid donations once a year and both online platforms and traditional collection methods were the most popular aid donation transfer channels. Moreover, significant differences were found between men and women in donation frequency and amounts, with men donating more frequently and with higher donation values. Similarly, the respondents from households with above-average economic standing donated more often and in larger amounts than those from lower-income households. The study concludes that young people seem to be one-off donors with no regular habits of providing financial aid to needy people, and they are hybrid donors using, in parallel, both traditional and modern financial transfer channels. It appears that gender and economic standing play crucial roles in shaping Generation Z’s charitable behaviours. These findings provide valuable insights for non-profit organisations, suggesting the need for developing tailored strategies based on specific socio-demographic characteristics of Generation Z to engage young donors in charity regularly and intensively.