The Millennial generation tends to distrust many of the institutions that earlier generations trusted—including nonprofits. For instance, Millennials strongly think they’ll be worse off than their parents. And some experts in economics agree with them. So, with anxiety about money in general, nonprofits face a generation that don’t understand why they should have to pay for the operating expenses, including salaries, of nonprofits.
As you may know, generally, approximately a third of Americans distrust of nonprofit organizations. And add to that the natural distrust and frustration the Millennial generation has with traditional institutions. Unfortunately, nonprofits increasingly face unique challenges as Millennials gain more earning power and leadership roles.
The importance of transparency for Millennials
Above all else, transparency matters to engage the Millennial generation. Remember that they came of age in an era of significant social change. So, one way for your nonprofit to demonstrate transparency is by getting high rating by Guidestar. For example, they rank bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. Nonprofits earning their Guidestar seal experience an increase of about 53 percent in contributions. For those getting silver status, there’s an increase of approximately 26 percent over bronze. In short, transparency requires full openness about leadership, financials, and measurable impact. Additionally, in the age of social media, transparency is a paramount value for Millennials who spot phoniness quickly and will call it out.
Authenticity follows
The best nonprofit leaders understand transparency. But another crucial value that accompanies it is authenticity. Millennials lived much of their lives on social media. As a result, they care about authentic people and brands. So the Millennial generation expects to engage in meaningful relationships with nonprofits they support. And in the digital era, a lot of it takes place in a public space, such as social media. Unlike previous generations, Millennials expect to see a lot of the information provided by brands on social media. Moreover, it’s got be genuine, not contrived, and certainly not with any slickly produced content.
No impact, no money
With distrust of institutions and the natural inclination for skepticism, nonprofits must demonstrate impact to have any chance of obtaining support from Millennials. Of course, it’s vital to tell the stories of people, animals or things served by your nonprofit. But it’s also essential to show the measurable impact made. Millennials have to understand how many people get helped by your soup kitchen or how many times children get mentored. In short, they want stories, but accurate statistics and facts supporting the narrative.
Diversity, inclusion, and equity
Millennials care about diversity and inclusion. Period. As a result, they want to see in any organization, including nonprofits, represent gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc., But, not only do they want to see diversity and inclusion, they go further. For example, they want to see equity and fairness in treatment of employees and everyone they serve. With Millennials, nonprofit board members and executives have to treat their teams equitably, including with salaries, and with full and meaningful inclusion and diversity on every level. If a nonprofit doesn’t demonstrate diversity, inclusion, and equity, it won’t attract Millennials who care very much about the actual implementation of these values.
It’s not only about money for Millennials
Of course, nonprofits ask for money. But Millennials won’t support organizations just looking to ask them to give their money. That’s not a meaningful relationship for Millennials. As noted earlier, Millennials want to see a social impact. And they want to support organizations that make a difference in all kinds of creative socially responsible ways.
Shameless plug: That last point is why unique fundraisers, such as shoe drive fundraisers, help raise money without asking for money. Moreover, you could support the environment and micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries. And that’s a great way to engage Millennials.
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