There's so much talk about Millennials these days. The term is used to define folks born sometime between 1982 and 2000, which makes both me (32 years young) and my colleague Virginia (25) Millennials — so why do I sometimes feel as though Virginia and her peers speak a different, faster language than I do? Let's face it, in the digital world, things change fast. If mine was the generation to connect the world through social media, I often feel like I need a crash course in how to reach folks who are 25 and younger. They’re different, brave, confident. They are like younger siblings everywhere who grow up quickly by watching older kids pave the way. When I graduated from university in 2007, the economy was fragile and everyone took the first job they were offered. Today, our younger millennial counterparts advocate for their own professional development almost before they interview. They have a plan. They know what they want, they know what they’re worth and, as a result, they are making more and more money and giving it away in unprecedented amounts. They have a lot to teach us.
I learn from Virginia Fresne, everyday. She’s a millennial of the "25 and under" category: fearless, tech-savvy, efficient beyond measure and running the world through an iPhone. Virginia once famously googled “how to snowboard” while on a chairlift, she orders dinner via Instacart and her and her friends do everyday chores in half the time with apps like Venmo, Concur and Lola. In addition to all of these daily hacks, Virginia uses her immense millennial powers for good, helping to raise millions of dollars for some of the world’s most vulnerable children as Director of Programs for our small non-profit in Kenya. Much of the money Virginia raises comes from donors her age: young professionals who are looking to build longterm relationships with charities through events, campaigns and volunteer opportunities. I asked Virginia what matters to her peers when it comes to philanthropy — and took notes. Below are three ways that Virginia finds and engages members of her millennial tribe:
On social media
Social media has changed the landscape of fundraising. Today, your donors can interact with each other in smaller Facebook groups, see daily updates on Instagram and even follow your team on SnapChat. If 88 percent of millennials are getting their news from Facebook, think of social media as a place where you can share information about your organization without donors feeling specifically targeted or solicited. To make the most of this platform, Virginia suggests that instead of posting generic inspirational quotes, consider sharing more specific testimonials from your stakeholders. And while it’s tempting to stay relevant, beware of posting too frequently — it dilutes the intended impact and doesn’t necessarily translate to a higher engagement. The most successful nonprofits will deliver messaging that is a mix of demonstrating impact, highlighting a need, sharing relevant news from their sector, posting updates from the ground and making a specific ask.
Through influencers
Aligning your nonprofit with a celebrity, influencer or brand can give your cause credibility and help millennials find and trust you. But rather than having a handful of celebrities or influencers retweet your tweet or endorse your work, consider focusing your efforts on building meaningful relationships with fewer high-profile supporters. Folks in the limelight can appear fickle by nature and having a celebrity endorse your work, donate to your cause, attend events and share updates leaves a bigger impression on their followers.
But whatever you do, don't pay for your charity to be promoted by celebrities; there is a backlash against promoted content of this nature and most audiences can spot these posts in an instant. Instead, look for celebrities who might already have some connection to your work. If you are fundraising for cancer research, look for someone who has gone through treatment; if you are raising awareness for Alzheimer's, reach out to someone who has seen a family member struggle with the disease; if you drill clean water wells in developing countries, identify someone who has traveled to places in need. You will be surprised by how many are aligned with your passion and waiting to be asked to help.
Via mobile auctions
Millennials are savvy investors and they want to know that their money is making a difference. In Virginia’s experience, Millennials are most compelled by campaigns that fund a specific need. Fund-a-need campaigns (those that ask people to donate to the cost of a backpack, a school uniform or a certain number of meals) are a hit because they offer young people an opportunity to have a tangible and immediate impact. While a non-profit’s needs can seem overwhelming to Millennials looking to make a difference, giving donors the opportunity to connect to something specific (donating to a small, easily obtainable and tangible need, such as a new school bus or solar panels) is a great way to build relationships that can translate to sustainable involvement. And whether donors are funding a need at an event, or bidding on an auction item, mobile-bidding platforms, like the app 501Auctions, make the process faster and more interactive. Virginia attended an event recently where donors could review the auction items ahead of time, bid on their phones and track their friends’ activity via a screen that included guests’ names and bids in real-time.The app also alerted donors with updates throughout the night and the whole process eliminated the logistical hassle of staff collecting payments. The end result was a fast-paced environment that generated so much momentum that if you hadn't bid on anything, you were the odd man out.
Millennials on both ends of the spectrum care about issues of social justice and will advocate for causes that matter to them. They are an often-overlooked source of generosity and they make powerful donors, volunteers and team members. My best advice for tapping into this source of potential? Hire them!
