Why Engaging Millennials Today Is Crucial For The Future of Your Nonprofit

Millennials (born between 1980–2000) will soon inherit $41 trillion of wealth from older generations. And when they are loyal to a cause they are loyal forever.

I would like to share with you few stats and insights with respect to Millennials, and why it is important to engage this generation, also known as as Gen Y, now.

Let’s start with two important facts that fundraising managers know, and know very well:

1. The donor base is shrinking year after year.
2. Traditional fundraising campaigns such as mailing out fundraising appeals are becoming less effective.

One might think, given the above, that people are becoming less generous. Studies have shown that, to the contrary, Canadians and Americans have in fact become more generous within the last decade.

For instance, according to statistics Canada, the amount donated by Canadians to charitable or nonprofit organizations increased by 14% between 2010 and 2013, reaching $12.8 billion.

The trend is the same in the United States as, for example, the total amount donated in 2014 increased to $358 billion, a 7.1% increase when compared to 2013.

The above, when viewed together, tells us that there are nonprofits that are thriving and others that are not.

Having dealt with many nonprofits, I am now convinced that one of the reasons, among others, for not doing well is a lack of engagement strategy with respect to Millennials.

We say that because Millennials’ engagement through nonprofits has suffered over the last few years. Millennials now prefer to engage directly in causes, which explains the huge success of peer-to-peer fundraising initiatives.

Does this mean nonprofits can sit, watch and wait for doom’s day. The answer is no. The solution is to adapt and accept that Gen Y is crucial to the survival of your organization. Dedicating more human and technology resources can help attract Millennials and keep them engaged.

Understandably, many small nonprofits don’t have the resources to dedicate additional staff to only target this unique generation. But there are also myths that feed into this unwillingness to change. I discuss some of them next and then help dispel them through some stats.

The myths:

• Millennials are a “selfish”, “ME” generation.
• Millennials don’t give as much to charity as older generations.
• Millennials don’t volunteer as much to important causes.

Dispelling the myths:

• 70% of Millennials are willing to raise money for a nonprofit they care about.
• Over 80% of Millennials give at least one gift to a nonprofit every year.
• Over 70% of Millennials volunteer with a nonprofit every year.

Millennials’ giving and volunteering habits

• Millennials want to contribute more than a simple cash sum- they want to contribute more because they become emotionally invested in the cause.
• Millennials find it irritating when they can’t access information about a nonprofit easily.
• Having grown up with technology, Millennials expect to be able to give easily.
• Millennials want to see the fruits of their efforts and that they indeed make a positive difference.
• Gamification and peer-to-peer fundraising are extremely effective in attracting their attention and in convincing them to reach out to their pockets.

Takeaway

Nonprofits who want to engage Millennials need first to come to terms that it is worth investing time and effort to understand and reach out to this misunderstood, but generous, segment of the population. Here are the good news: Millennials are ready to listen given nonprofits use the right approach and tools to engage them.

Further reading:

1. Volunteering and charitable giving in Canada (5 min read)
2. Do Millennials really care about charity (2 min read)
3. Five things about Gen Y that charities need to know (3 min read)