MCON12
The Millennial Movement is happening now, but are you ready for it? If you have to ask, it’s already too late! I had the privilege of participating in MCON12, and to watch Grant Garrison of GOOD/Corps speak about a “Millennial Movement.” The power of the internet in society has allowed the Millennial Movement to grow fast, large, and strong. Not only is it powerful, but it is extremely dispersed. Millennials are physically no longer confined in one geographic location, and they genuinely care about many numerous diverse social issues. Organizations must recognize that the Millennial Movement is happening, and they should not underestimate the value of these Millennials.
The value of Millennials may be due to their power in electronic numbers, but it can also be attributed to the fact that they drive trends, are citizen consumers, and show great creativity to solving social issues.
Garrison believes that nonprofits are falling behind because they are not listening to the feedback from Millennials. There are many new tools to increase engagement out there now that are free, which allow institutions to reach higher potential values. Private organizations are capitalizing on these technological trend-setters, and nonprofits are playing catch up. That’s okay nonprofits, read closely...one of the Millennials’ newest trends? Citizen consumption.
In order to be a citizen consumer, you have to factor in globalization, authenticity, and how and where things were made. For example, Millennials want to buy fresh produce. Even if their food is not from local farms, Millennials can easily find out where their groceries are coming from in just a few clicks. WhereisMyMilkFrom is a website that can inform you what dairy farm your milk came from. Now that’s just creepy...or brilliant.
Millennials are also behind the organic food craze. According to the Organic Trade Association, U.S. sales of organic food and beverages have grown from $1 billion in 1990 to $26.7 billion in 2010! Not only do they care about what food they eat, the organic craze transposes over to their clothing as well. An organization called Thread for Thought is a clothing brand that is made exclusively from organic cotton. Their organization also gives back to charity, promotes a cleaner environment, and advocates for peace. All that for buying a t-shirt? Yup.
“The Millennial Movement is actually happening [although] it looks different and is hugely more powerful...we cannot ignore this generation anymore” - Grant Garrison, GOOD/Corps
Garrison spoke about these new socially responsible citizens and their purchasing power. Here are some highlights of statistics:
- >50% of people purchase items based on a cause they support
- >70% of millennial consumers will recommend, promote, or switch brands that are supporting a good cause
- 50% of global consumers purchased a product based on its support for a cause in the past year
So not only do Millennials buy smart, they are smart. Garrison argues that social change is “moving away from government action [and] public policy...social change needs to happen through culture.” This means the solutions to social change are in the hands of the Millennials. They are using more and more social media tools to make a difference and help causes they support. A great example is the online fundraising platform Kickstarter, which is currently on track to fund more money for the arts than the NEA this year. Although the government has been taking care of the country’s issues for so long, these new creative solutions to social issues is a breath of fresh air.
As long as we keep Millennials engaged in our communities and allow their creativity to thrive, they can help solve the social issues the government does not have the manpower to do. The Millennial Movement is here, and all we have to do is continue to build it.