How to Get Millennials More Engaged With Your Nonprofit
As a nonprofit organization, the community is your greatest asset. Not only is your purpose of existence to assist them, but much of your days are spent asking them to assist you. 64% of Millennials, the largest generation of working adults right now, volunteer at least once per year and contribute to the average $410 billion that is donated manually in America. It’s also important to remember that one of the most telling predictors of a large donation to come is early engagement at a lower level. Regardless of these amazing statistics, there are still many nonprofits that struggle to find help from their local community.
Community engagement is a huge contributor to the relationships your organization builds, the respect you receive, and the amount of recognition that people will give back in the form of volunteering and donation.
Here are a few ideas that you can implement in your nonprofit organization to get Millennials more engaged:
Take part in local events.
Millennials are conscious of the role the brands (even nonprofits) they support play in the community. If you’re motivated to do something great for the neighborhood, then they will no doubt encourage you. However, if they don’t know what you do or don’t have the opportunity to interact with you in person, they may choose to focus their aid elsewhere. Stay up to date on the events happening in your community, such as block parties and concerts, and pop up an information desk with volunteer signup. Or, better yet...
Plan your own awareness event.
It doesn’t need to be anything extravagant, but as a manager of a nonprofit, you can plan a BBQ or other small fundraiser that will raise awareness and get your face out there. You can even reach out to similar nonprofits and partner up and support each other in reaching your Millennial audience by sharing time and resources. If asked, local performers and other talented community members may also offer up their services for their own awareness to a worthy cause.
Reach out to local leaders and develop a team of loyal ambassadors.
You may notice that many of the leaders in your community are within the Millennial generation, and when Millennials are loyal, they will spread the word about your organization like wildfire. Think of them as micro-influencers, perhaps not building awareness worldwide, but building a loyal community of local support. If you can build relationships by offering something of value first (even something as simple and free as a seminar), they are more likely to acknowledge your value and begin promoting and supporting your mission within their networks. A team of ambassadors could even be younger Millennials who are only now starting their entry-level careers and are being supported to take an active role in the community. These ambassadors will help spread the word about your nonprofit and can come up with more clever ideas on engaging their own generation.
Are you interested in learning more about how your nonprofit organization can begin strategically engaging with the Millennials in your community? Reach out to a member of our team today at info@nmblstrategies.com.
