Guest Post: 3 Things Nonprofits Should Know About Millennials

Danielle Griffin, a visitor from Houston, Texas, interned at Generocity.org for the month of July. As a college student, we asked her to write about her perspective on how nonprofits can better work millennials as social impact leaders.

Millennials are getting a lot of press lately. But what are they (or rather we) really thinking? The Millennial Impact surveyed 2,665 people in the millennial age group (people born between 1979 – 1994) about their behaviors and motivations. The results showed positive signs for the nonprofit and social good sectors.

The research revealed that 72 percent of the respondents wanted to give to nonprofits or involve themselves through service-oriented projects. It also revealed that millennials are more likely to give when nonprofits appeal to them in a generation-specific way.

As a millennial and a nonprofit partner at my university’s nonprofit outreach organization, I am a firm believer that being an attractive organization is one part of the equation. However, the other part is being able to attract a group, a person, or a generation in a way that will make them feel included and needed.

If you are looking to engage millennials with your nonprofit, here’s a list of methods you should consider:

1.Enable Connectivity via Social Platforms

Social media is the bridge that connects us to information, opportunity, and entertainment.  If an organization does not have a solid social media connection with popular sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, then their brand and mission will not attract as many millennials.

Millennials are the generation that saw social media technology skyrocket. Many of us were born into it while others were introduced to it at a young age. Because of this early influence, we tend to incorporate it into our lives as a necessity. Reaching out to the millennials through social media is definitely one way to get our attention!

2. Create a Well-designed 30 Second Video of Impact

One big mistake a lot of nonprofit organizations make is creating long videos about their organization that don’t tell you the essential information until the end. Today a 30-second video can go a long way if executed well.

The video should always provide the five W’s (who, what, when, where, and why) and should make your targeted audience feel compelled to watch it and potentially share it with friends via social platforms.

Knowing what soundtrack to play and how to attractively present graphics will also help your organization reach a mass following of viewer/donors and will prompt them to share it with friends.

3. Millennials = Instant Gratification

One thing I’ve noticed in my own experiences is that millennials want to know how they are making a difference. They also want to feel appreciated for what they give.

With this in mind, it is always important show your millennial donor the short-term effect of their service. This can be done by showing them exactly how their service are benefiting someone, and giving them a heartfelt thank you instead of treating it as a business transaction for the greater good.

These three tips will help to encourage your local millennials to get involved with their nearest nonprofit organization!