Episode Details

I'll admit it. I came into this conversation ready to talk about "those damn kids." They give me the blank stare. They call me bro. My friend in staffing says they show up for one day of work and never come back. Phil Putnam walked me back from the ledge. (Mostly. The bro thing still bugs me.)

Phil Putnam is a workforce behavior strategist and keynote speaker who spent 20+ years as a team member and executive at Apple and Adobe. Now he helps associations and companies like PCMA, Bloomberg, Slack, and Salesforce understand how different generations work and give. He's a Gen Xer with two Gen Z mentors, ages 26 and 22, and he is unapologetically pro-Gen Z.

In this episode, we get into why safety is the North Star for this generation. They've never known life without school shootings, and many of them believe the planet won't outlast them. Phil maps what each generation wants from work: loyalty for boomers, excellence for Gen X, value exchange for millennials, safety for Gen Z. Most fundraising strategies are written by boomers and Xers, through a boomer and Xer lens.

For EDs managing Gen Z staff, Phil explains why "bring me a first draft" can feel terrifying to someone raised on teaching to the test. His advice: never lower the job requirements when a Gen Z fundraiser says they hate the phone. Pair the requirement with safety instead. Try it, and I won't punish you for the draft. And if they still won't do the job, find them another role or let them go. Replacing an employee costs roughly 150% of their salary.

Then we tackle loyalty. Phil's take: Gen Z is loyal, just not to employment as we know it. The oldest Gen Zer has been working for six years. Layoffs, COVID, AI, more layoffs. Top performers get an average raise of 3.7%. The math doesn't math.

On the donor side, Gen Z is 27% of the workforce today and will be 31% by 2035. Forbes 30 Under 30 is almost entirely Gen Z. Phil's approach starts with values alignment: ask what they care about and what they're afraid of, then take their answers at face value. For retention, keep the first gift easy, put your Gen Z donors in the room with your boomers, and connect them to each other.

My favorite moment is Phil's welcome email test. You pay an association hundreds of dollars, and the first email asks you to join a committee. It's like ordering dinner and getting handed an apron. His point lands hard for fundraisers: your donors are your customer, not your resource.

If your donor strategy only speaks boomer, this conversation is for you.

Important Links:
Phil Putnam Speaks
Email Phil: booking@philputnam.com

My Big Ask Gifts Program
My Book, Get That Money Honey
My Newsletter
Join the Free Webinar