By now you realize the most critical generation to focus your fundraising efforts is on the Millennials. In short, the group surpassed the Boomers in sheer numbers. Further, some key facts you might find interesting in an Inc. article include:
- If Millennials had a choice between earning $100,000 annually or $40,000 at a job they loved, they would choose the latter.
- 84 percent want to make a difference in the world. Moreover, it’s a greater value than professional recognition.
- On the job, crucial values for Millennials are community, creativity, and family.
Millennials and the Fundraising Pipeline
The reality is that Millennials should be a significant segment for your fundraising pipeline. Therefore, it’s vital for your nonprofit to know how to engage them. The most fundamental thing to remember when trying to connect with this generation is that they want (and demand) transparency. Remember, they grew up in the age of social media, which promotes genuineness. Also, other necessary qualities for communication to keep in mind include:
1. Building Trust
This value isn’t just for Millennials. It’s also for anyone you engage with regarding your nonprofit. Further, one of the essential aspects for building trust is to ensure the programs and services you provide align with your mission. Meaning, if your work doesn’t seem to align with the mission, Millennials will question it. So, everything you do should focus on how to create a cohesive organization. And that means the work you do, your programs, and even who supports your cause. In other words, if your mission is disease related, you don’t want donors who produce carcinogenic products.
2. Communication with Millennials
Millennials expect you to communicate with them. But they also expect it to happen on platforms they enjoy on social media. Still, that’s not all. Concerning social it’s not good enough to merely have a presence. It’s also essential to respond and interact with comments and share relevant content. Additionally, nonprofit social networking managers must understand Millennials are attuned to photos and videos.
3. User Experience
Millennials grew up at the dawn of the digital age. So they expect organizations, including nonprofits, a great user experience. They prefer to consume information in smaller bits. And that means nonprofit organizations need to prepare to deliver their expertise in a way that engages Millennials. Some vital elements for great user experience include ensuring you have a modern and professional looking website. Also your nonprofit donation page needs to be easy to use. Moreover, how you present yourself, even your logo, should be memorable.
Again, Millennials grew up exposed to the digital and technical world. Ultimately, it had an impact on their view of the world. They also experienced at a young age the Great Recession. As we know, it was a financial event that we hadn’t experienced since the Depression in the 1920’s. These things created a worldview for transparency and realness. In other words, they don’t trust “slick.” But they do trust groups making a difference and being real at all times.
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