Engaging Millennials In Your Next Nonprofit Event

Author: Jono Smith on 16 September 2010 | 0 Comments

Tags: donors

A hundred years from now, Millennials will be known as a generation of giving and engaged indivduals.  They are sharp, they are active, and they want to know that they are making an impact, not only in the workplace but also in the world as a whole.  The key then, for your nonprofit organization, is to find effective ways to leverage these individuals and encourage them to take part in your event fundraising.

Engaging Millennials with Event Fundraising:

• Leverage Social Media Networks: Social media networks offer great possibility for your fundraising event, but they can also be a major distraction and resource drain if not utilized correctly.  They offer a great amount of free advertising, allow you to reach your donor group at a moment's notice, and they can help you spread your message while creating much needed buzz for your event fundraising.  It's important to find the right way to engage across these networks and not lose sight of how important measurement is to understanding engagement.  Simply diving into social networking without a clear plan for what you want to accomplish just because they are very popular can be a waste of time.  Don't let your organization's involvement with social media become a distraction that keeps you from reaching your goal. 
  
  Once you have established clear metrics for what success looks like on social networks, you can begin to tap into the vast audiences they have.  Social networks can be especially useful in driving engagement among Millennials, because of their popularity and accessibility on mobile devices. Create an App specifically focused on your organization or event.  According to a Neilson Survey covered in the New York Times said that 59% of smartphone users downloaded a mobile app in the last month.  Use these outlets to both promote your events and to share the daily activities of your organization as a whole and you will begin to draw this new generation to your nonprofit fundraising efforts.
• Go Green: The environment, and taking care of it, is a hot topic these days.  This is especially true for the Millennial generation, which is highly concerned about the environmental impact of their activities.  Remember, this is a group that is aware of the world around them, and of their impact on it.  If you can leverage this common interest, then you are far more likely to grab, and hold, their attention.
  
  One way you can incorporate "Going Green" into your event is to encourage carpooling or go a step further and partner up with an organization focused on carbon offsets like TerraPass or CarbonFund.  
• Employ an "Everyone Wins" Attitude and Structure: When dealing with Millennials it is often effective to take an "everyone wins" approach.  This means that you are able to clearly show how donating to your organization will have a positive impact on the community, or even the world, as a whole, and therefore, will have a positive impact on the donor.  This type of outlook tends to empower Millennials and works to encourage them to your become involved with organization and your fundraising events.
• Focus on the Community: One common barrier to giving for Millennials is that they never feel as though they are able to "see" the real impact of their donation.  By highlighting specific activities on a local level you allow your target donors to feel as if they are making a direct difference in their own community, a difference that they can see, and therefore one that they can believe in.