Why Millennials Are One of Your Best Audiences

 Millennials have been pigeonholed as being lazy, but when it comes to social justice issues, Millennials are quite passionate about causes and donate money to the issues they support. With all these mixed messages, how can your nonprofit really dig in and learn what Millennials need, and how to reach them? Or maybe you’re reading this as a Millennial who’s working at or running a nonprofit, and want to know how to reach your own generation most effectively?

The 2015 Millennial Impact Report examines Millennial behavior and attitudes toward giving, volunteering, and social good. Millennials are not lazy and they’re really excelling at communication, both on and offline. According to the Report, they are some of the most frequent participants in the workplace philanthropy, and they’re the catalyst for important social change.

Who did this report talk to?

We pulled some key findings that we thought would be critical for you to continue to reach Millennials where they’re at, and move them further up the ladder of engagement…

• 84% of Millennial employees made a charitable donation in 2014. Millennials are likely making up a large portion of your donor base. Make sure you know your donor demographic.
• 48% of Millennials have donated to a giving campaign promoted by their employer at some point in their lives. This shows that they believe in the work that they’re doing. Passion is key. Give your audience actions that they can take.
• But how much are Millennials they giving?

• 70% of Millennial employees spent at least an hour volunteering in 2014. And their main reason for volunteering through a company-sponsored project was “I was passionate or interested in the cause.” We told you, passion takes you far.
• 1 – 10: the range of hours many Millennial employees volunteer each year. And that’s just the middle ground.
• I know we said that Millennials aren’t lazy, but here are the stats to prove it:

We know that Millennials are engaged and that they want more, so how can you engage them even more?

• Ask them to be on your Advisory Council.
• Don’t speak to a group of people assuming that Millennials aren’t present.
• Tailor your content and outreach to Millennials; meet them where they’re at. What platforms are they using? Where do they want to communicate with you?
• Encourage your employees to volunteer, without forcing them to use their paid time off.
• Develop campaigns and programs that let Millennials give to an issue rather than an organization.

How are you engaging Millennials? If you are a Millennial, how are you engaging your peers? Is it working for you? What do you think you could do differently?