Eliciting Involvement in Nonprofit Organizations from the Millennial Generation

Jennifer Brandeberry

The Ohio State University

ABSTRACT

Many of todays Nonprofit Organizations have not yet fully embraced modern ways in which they can motivate young adults, or Millennials, to become involved with the organization and spread their mission. To understand what direction to take, an understanding of how young adults communicate and become interested in becoming engaged in a particular activity is very important. In general, young adults are made aware of news and causes through social media, most commonly through Facebook and Twitter. They support causes either through small donations or simply sharing posts to their network. When young adults are involved through hands-on work, they do so for the following reasons: passion, networking, and experiences (learning, leadership, etc.). An important piece to gaining initial interest from individuals is to tell a relatable story rather than simply asking for support of the organization. Therefore, gaining support for the organization will involve embracing ways with which the organization can offer an experience that allows young adults to easily access content, relate to a cause, and either make an impact or gain a valuable experience. It is vital for Nonprofit Organizations, including Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed, to jump on board and evolve by embracing technology and new communication tactics.

Keywords

Nonprofit Organization; Involve; Support; Cause; Media; Young; Adult Millennial

1. Introduction

Todays societal dynamics are changing rapidly, as new generations are changing the way that people interact and the way that work is done. All organizations, including nonprofit ones, must begin to find ways to involve the younger members, or Millennials, of their respective communities. To do this, nonprofit organizations must understand, evolve towards, and embrace the media through which these members become engaged, promote causes, and communicate with one another. Millennials have the ability to leverage new and useful tools that will help to promote nonprofit causes. The topic for this discussion involves the following question: how can nonprofits of all sizes educate and inspire millennials to become involved with volunteer work and spread the message of the organizations?

2. Methods

Research began by performing secondary research, through the use of a search engine that assisted in finding sources and details from reports on millennial activities with nonprofit organizations. The validity of the source was determined by the organization that conducted the research, as well as the sponsoring or parent organization of the site hosting the information. For example, if the organizations mission statement surrounds this topic or the sponsoring or parent organization is credible, then the research is most likely valid work. However, if the content came from a blog or article, then it would be less credible and more likely to be opinionated. In this case, work from the Millennial Impact Project was used as a source, with The Case Foundation being the sponsoring party of this research. Further research on The Case Foundations website as well as on Google yielded results that indicate that it is a legitimate nonprofit organization founded in 1997 by the AOL co-founder Steve Case and his wife Jean Case [6].

Another method of research (primary research) involved a more personal means of information gathering: interviewing young adults regarding their means or degree of involvement with nonprofits. Multiple young individuals that attend different schools and possess varying interests were interviewed for their input on this topic. This method also confirmed the findings from the secondary research.

3. Results/Analysis

Lets begin with the secondary research, and validate those results with the primary research that was conducted. Firstly, the secondary research indicated that young adults are not very interested in institutions but rather the people that the organizations help and the issues that are supported. Young adults are also highly selective about the organizations that they do follow. Couple both of these facts with the observation that young adults prefer to connect via technology, and there is no question as to why organizations are seeing a different level of direct involvement from Millennials [1]. There needs to be more observation of activities through social media.

This is not an indicator that young adults are not activists or do not want to support causes through the organizations. It is important to understand what Millennials look for in a cause and what they hope to get out of it. Research on the drivers for involvement by young adults indicated that with respect to Supportive Activism, for instance, 79% of volunteers are motivated to become involved by passion. This is supported by the observation that young adults prioritize the storytelling piece of activism [1]. Sharing and contributing is inspired by a compelling story, where young adults value information that is authentic, contains variety, and is actionable that is, it enables them to relate to the cause and thus be inspired to make a difference [1] [4]. These motivations are not, however, without self-interest and peer awareness, as research shows that young adults rely on peer influence. In addition to this, with relation to volunteers that exhibit supportive activism, 56% of individuals are looking to join a Young Nonprofit Professional Group in order to network with people, and 46% do so to broaden their leadership experience [1].

Separate from the motivations behind supporting particular causes, the next question relates to the manner in which young adults provide support. Regarding sharing information, based on a survey of a group of respondents, 75% indicated that they have at least once supported a cause on social media through indirect advocacy by either liking, retweeting, or sharing posts [1]. Research also indicates that Millennials prefer to share in small ways, which includes small donations at a time, as well as volunteering along a continuum of support rather than once [1]. Lastly, fundraiser events have become very popular, and younger people use these as well as their network of family and friends to donate small amounts [1] [4].

Primary research yielded valuable insights as well, as individuals that have been involved with multiple organizations offered their input. The interviewees all use social media or websites to some capacity to support organizations. They follow anywhere from 4 to 30 NPOs, with some support being based on recommendation from friends or family [5]. This gives credence to the research that observed how young adults use their personal network to show support. The interviewees from the primary research prefer Twitter because they like to see updates on activities minute by minute, so to speak [2] [4]. Although the interviewees prefer to use social media to advocate causes, the most common way that they interact with organizations regarding volunteering opportunities is through email. Their motivation for involvement is to gain new learning experiences and to learn about the community [3] [4]. They also do not donate unless they have some sort of relationship or personal connection to the organization. Lastly, the interviewees have noted that they value organizations and gain motivation through the way in which these organizations create visibility through social media and can make the causes relatable [2] [4].

4. Discussion

In general, the main factors impacting Millennial involvement in Nonprofit Organizations are: relatability and the storytelling perspective, promotion through social media and technology, networking, and opportunities to create a visible impact. First and foremost, NPOs must steer themselves towards digital transformation and embrace technology as the driver for their cause. For instance, NPOs should spread news and messages through social media, particularly Twitter. Organizations should not look at the amount of individual donations, but rather track the length or amount of involvement by individuals. To maintain long term interest, the organizations should launch campaigns on social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) that tell stories and explain the impact that volunteers or donors have had on the cause. These messages should not focus on promoting the organization, but rather sending the message of the cause that is to be supported. Using existing volunteers to share news and messages with their friends and family on social media will likely garner more support than by sharing posts directly with strangers. Email messages should be limited to maintaining contact with and updating those who have an established relationship with the organization. Otherwise, these messages might be regarded as spam. With respect to offering a learning perspective or experience for volunteers, organizations must give young adults the opportunity to organize, coordinate, or receive learning incentives from participation (e.g. volunteer hour acknowledgement) to give the volunteers a chance to be hands-on and have an impact on the community. In conclusion, if NPOs embrace a digital approach, they can increase their visibility and motivate young adults to be involved.

References

[1] The Case Foundation. Millennial Impact Report. The Millennial Impact. 2013. Web. 20 April 2015.

[2] Kaur, Gurleen. Personal Interview. 27 April 2015.

[3] Zaim, Hannah. Personal Interview. 27 April 2015.

[4] Smith, Dana. Personal Interview. 27 April 2015.

[5] Wurth, Casey. Personal Interview. 28 April 2015.

[6] "What Is the Case Foundation?"Case Foundation. Web. 27 April 2015.