millennial

Each week, we’ll cull the interwebs for the most relevant articles, videos and commentary about Millennials and social change, and then present them right here in a weekly round-up. It’s not to say we won’t also provide our own fresh content and perspectives throughout the week, because we will—as will our provocative and savvy Social Citizen Ambassadors. But you can view this space as a central repository for all of the great stuff that’s filling our newsfeeds, twitter feeds, and Facebook streams.

We’ll do the curating for you, just come by and pay us a visit – and drop a comment every now and then to let us know how we’re doing and what we’re missing. And now for this week’s round-up…

5 Ways Young People Can Bounce Back From Economic Setbacks

Today’s challenging economy presents a variety of hardships and obstacles for individuals of all areas, ages, and backgrounds. One group of people often overlooked when it comes to economic struggle is young people. While the next generation may not be worrying about their 401Ks or mortgages, they are worrying about unemployment, student loans, and other similar financial concerns.

Time magazine writer Dan Schawbel notes in a recent piece, “It’s hard to become the leaders of tomorrow without jobs today. The International Labor Organization estimates that around the world, there are nearly 75 million unemployed youth — a new “Lost Generation,” in the words of panelists discussing the problem at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Schawbel offers some advice for these young people when it comes to “maximizing opportunities” and finding ways to make the most out of the worst.

1. Create multiple income streams.
2. Approach your job search as you would a new client.
3. Have a positive attitude and be confident in yourself.
4. Become a lifelong student.
5. Find mentors and start building relationships with them.

Have you tried any of these approaches?

 

Want to Change the World but Don’t Know Where to Start?

Steve McCoy-Thompson asks a question that is hot on the minds of many young professionals across sectors—how, when, and where does one begin when they want to change the world? For those of us who are Social Citizens, finding an outlet that integrates one’s passions can often feel out of reach. McCoy-Thompson explores how that sentiment is multiplied when applied to the job search.

A similar desire to create positive change can be equally as challenging for companies. “Many of the world’s greatest companies have declared their strategic intent to institute sustainability, and some have made remarkable progress. But many are still struggling with the fundamental question of “what to do” to realize these ambitions: how to integrate sustainability into their core business model, their daily operations, and the personal performance of thousands of disparate employees.”

So what’s a young person to do when both they, and it seems many companies, want the same thing, but neither know how to achieve it? McCoy-Thompson points out that “most companies understand the why of sustainability, but are grappling with the what… To change the world, people need to own the change, and the owners need to be in a position to make a difference.”

Have you been faced with a similar situation? Which side of this coin are you on and what advice would you give to others?

Each week, we’ll cull the interwebs for the most relevant articles, videos and commentary about Millennials and social change, and then present them right here in a weekly round-up. It’s not to say we won’t also provide our own fresh content and perspectives throughout the week, because we will—as will our provocative and savvy Social Citizen Ambassadors. But you can view this space as a central repository for all of the great stuff that’s filling our newsfeeds, twitter feeds, and Facebook streams.

We’ll do the curating for you, just come by and pay us a visit – and drop a comment every now and then to let us know how we’re doing and what we’re missing. And now for this week’s round-up…

If You Build It, They Will Come

Silicon Valley has long been the place where tech dreams are made. Often associated with industry giants such as Google and Facebook, this area is also home to many fledgling startups—and as it turns out, is a great place for Millennials. Young adults are just the latest “high-tech migrants” to flock to Silicon Valley according to Erica Goode of The New York Times. She reports that “in their 20s and fresh out of college, [they are] drawn by a surge in start-ups and investment money that in the last year and a half has created more jobs than companies can fill, and eager to help shape the technology that infuses their lives.”

This flood of next-geners combined with the current economic situation (of which Silicon Valley is currently somewhat insulated) has created an interesting dynamic: “Buoyed by the frenzy of entrepreneurship around them, many young newcomers exhibit an optimism and confidence no economist could dampen. To some who have watched successive generations land here, this latest crop seems brash and entitled, with short attention spans and a video-game approach to life. Others see in them a social conscience and maturity that set them apart from the high-tech gold diggers of the 1990s.”

What is so unique about this melting pot of Millennials and startups is that for many it also represents the marriage of professional goals and personal values. Morin Oluwole, 27, was interviewed by Goode and said, “What I’ve done is to turn my personal interests into what I do for a living.” That seems like a pretty good way to live if you ask me.

What do you think of the combination of Millennials and startups? Do you agree with the sentiments in the article about the “latest crop” being “brash and entitled,” or rather that they have a “social conscience and maturity?” Does the characterization matter?

Desperately Seeking “Betterness”

Lisa Curtis of Forbes asks readers, “What does “success” mean in the 21st century and how do we achieve it?” A quick look at the current state of marriage, the economy, education, business (you name it) is leaving many Millennials sick to their stomachs when faced with decisions about their future. Curtis highlights just a few examples in her article, including: education loans—total outstanding loans will exceed $1 trillion for the first time this year; and unemployment rates—14 percent of young workers (20-24) are unemployed. She also makes reference to the housing market, social security… the list goes on.

Curtis reflects on the traditional ladder of success, the one that past generations sought to climb, and her conclusion is that it is nothing short of broken and splintered for the younger generation. Instead of climbing a never-ending ladder, Curtis is focused on a new metric for success—betterness. “Success for my generation will be a shift from business as usual to something Umair Haque calls ‘Betterness.’ A transition from climbing the ladder of unfulfilling societal expectations and consumerism to blazing a trail with a life guided by a holistic focus on well-being, community, and sustainability.”

Do you think there is a “betterness” quotient we can follow as a generation? Will this be a defining factor for Millennials in both the for- and non-profit worlds?

Vital Mobile Apps for Entrepreneurs

Mashable posted the top 11 mobile apps for entrepreneurs this week and we want to know which ones are your favorites!

Scott Gerber of the Young Entrepreneur Council says “With the glut of mobile apps out there, it’s important to get solid recommendations so you don’t waste your time or money on crappy, time-draining apps.” Gerber asked a group of young entrepreneurs about their favorite mobile apps and the top ones made this list.

If you’ve tried any of them please let us know what you thought about them!

 

Each week, we’ll cull the interwebs for the most relevant articles, videos and commentary about Millennials and social change, and then present them right here in a weekly round-up. It’s not to say we won’t also provide our own fresh content and perspectives throughout the week, because we will—as will our provocative and savvy Social Citizen Ambassadors. But you can view this space as a central repository for all of the great stuff that’s filling our newsfeeds, twitter feeds, and Facebook streams.

We’ll do the curating for you, just come by and pay us a visit – and drop a comment every now and then to let us know how we’re doing and what we’re missing. And now for this week’s round-up…

A New Generation of Musicians

I’m betting that at least half of the people reading this have taken a music lesson at some point in their life. I remember packing up my piano books for lessons at Mrs. Murray’s house each week when I was a kid—critical to those memories were the familiar smells that always greeted me when I entered, the feel of the well-worn piano bench, and of course the guiding hands of Mrs. Murray as I tried to play a difficult measure or passage of music.

Those memories are so integral to the learning process that I could not separate the two. So I was surprised to read an article in The New York Times about the increasing popularity of video chat platforms as a way to teach music. The trend of teaching online seems to be working for everything from math and science, to cooking lessons—but music? Really?

Catherine Saint Louis reports that Skype, Google+, and others have “transformed the simple phone call, but the technology is venturing into a new frontier: it is upending and democratizing the world of music lessons… There is no data on the number of video music lessons, and many people certainly will prefer face-to-face lessons. But many music teachers said in interviews that they were conducting more lessons over broadband connections.”

What do you make of this novel approach to learning music (or any subject matter)? Would you ever take lessons or teach online? Do you think this will catch on? 

Where’s Waldo?

Searching books for an illustrated character outfitted in a trademark red and white shirt and blue pants is a task most young Americans can do without much difficulty. Ask those same people to point to the city of Miami or the country of Kenya on a map of the world and you may be surprised by the results.

Victoria Johnson writes for Fortnight about the lack of knowledge in geography among young people in America. She cites “a 1989 Gallup poll by the National Geographic Society’s then-president Gilbert M. Grosvenor [who] challenged young people (ages 18-24) in nine countries to label sixteen locations on a world map. Americans averaged 7/16, and only 25% could label the Persian Gulf, despite the US teetering on the brink of the Gulf War.” Similar studies by National Geographic in 2002 and 2006 resulted in essentially the same findings--of young Americans performing poorly when it comes to geographic aptitude.

A cartographer and a Millennial, Johnson sights the increasing decline in our collective knowledge of basic geography. She notes, “Geography education, of course, is so much more than just labeling places on a map. But it’s a fine indicator of an individual’s geographic awareness. After all, you need to know where things are to fully understand their relationship with one another.”

For future generations this dearth of geographic knowledge, or should I say lack of geographic awareness, seems like a relatively minor problem—what’s the big deal after all, when one can simply search online for these places. Geographic borders no longer carry the same meaning in large part due to advances in transportation and the internet. Problem solved, right? Or is it? Johnson argues no—“A basic understanding of geographic principles relies on having some knowledge of relative location. Without that, you’re nowhere. You are actually no where.”

What value do you think geography has in our education and society? While this post from Johnson focuses on young adults and their knowledge of the world, how do you think other generations would fare if asked the same questions? 

Each week, we’ll cull the interwebs for the most relevant articles, videos and commentary about Millennials and social change, and then present them right here in a weekly round-up. It’s not to say we won’t also provide our own fresh content and perspectives throughout the week, because we will—as will our provocative and savvy Social Citizen Ambassadors. But you can view this space as a central repository for all of the great stuff that’s filling our newsfeeds, twitter feeds, and Facebook streams.

We’ll do the curating for you, just come by and pay us a visit – and drop a comment every now and then to let us know how we’re doing and what we’re missing. And now for this week’s round-up…

Every Vote Counts

Remember that adage from civics class—every vote counts? There are many times throughout history that we’ve seen this saying play out in election races… the latest of featuring the Iowa Caucuses. In the end, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney beat out former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum by a mere eight votes. Despite Romney’s technical victory, many see Santorum as the real victor here because he was slated as the underdog in this race, but came out tied for first place.

Jacob Soboroff who is a correspondent for MTV’s Power of 12 initiative, made a very interesting observation related to the real impact of Millennial voters that we think is worth exploring.

“In 2008 the percentage of young people who showed up at the Republican Iowa Caucus was 11% of all voters. This time around it was 15%—and just about half of those voters caucused for Ron Paul and gave him the boost he needs to stay in the race. Put it this way: according to CIRCLE, The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, more young voters caucused for Ron Paul than ALL the votes Michele Bachmann received. One also can't help but wonder, if young folks didn't come out to vote for Ron, where would he rank in the Iowa caucuses?”

Where indeed… Looking several months ahead, what impact will young voters have on not only deciding who the Republican party candidate will be, but also who the next President will be?

Silence is Golden

As members of the generation known for being tech savvy, plugged in 24/7 and always first in line for the next “big” tech gadget it was almost shocking to read a piece by Pico Iyer in The New York Times forecasting that the new trend of “finding stillness” is quickly gaining momentum among the next generation. “In barely one generation we’ve moved from exulting in the time-saving devices that have so expanded our lives to trying to get away from them — often in order to make more time. The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug.”

Iyer cites numerous examples of this growing trend such as the rise of “black hole” resorts where guests have no choice but to disconnect from the electronic world, or the growing popularity of Freedom software that allows users the ability to self-install specific applications to prevent themselves from opening certain “time-eating” websites such as Facebook or Gmail for a predetermined amount of time.

While finding more “time” for oneself is a common goal for many, it is particularly interesting to see what will happen as the next generation struggles to find the balance between freedom resulting from increased connectivity and freedom from that very same tie with technology.

Top Trends for 2012

Countdown lists and trend predictions were everywhere leading up to the New Year… YPulse created one of the more interesting lists as it relates to the next generation that you should be sure to check out!

Here’s a quick breakdown of the top five trends they see shaping up in 2012:

• Trend #1: Music Ownership Is Over
• Trend #2: Cord Cutting And Cutting Back Becomes The Reality
• Trend #3: We’ll See What Works With Mobile Shopping Tools
• Trend #4: Students Will Be Toting Tablets
• Trend #5: Twitter Takes Over

What trends do you see happening in your network for the new year?

Each week, we’ll cull the interwebs for the most relevant articles, videos and commentary about Millennials and social change, and then present them right here in a weekly round-up. It’s not to say we won’t also provide our own fresh content and perspectives throughout the week, because we will—as will our provocative and savvy Social Citizen Ambassadors. But you can view this space as a central repository for all of the great stuff that’s filling our newsfeeds, twitter feeds, and Facebook streams.

We’ll do the curating for you, just come by and pay us a visit – and drop a comment every now and then to let us know how we’re doing and what we’re missing. And now for this week’s round-up…

Millennials to business: Social responsibility isn’t optional

Earlier this week, Michelle Nunn, CEO of the Points of Light Institute, cautioned businesses and organizations across the country to sit up and take notice of the changes that Millennials are driving in the workforce in an article for The Washington Post. Nunn believes that, “As consumers, employees and entrepreneurs, Millennials are shifting the norms of corporate America’s conduct, ethical imperatives and purpose.” It is clear that over the course of the next decade that Millennials cannot be ignored by the corporate sector, and those that do will be quick to pay the price. The inevitable “change” for companies is both internal and external—Millennials will continue to gain an increasing amount of consumer power relative to their spending and similarly over time they will take on more and more leadership roles within organizations.

At Social Citizens, we are actively engaging others in this dialogue about Millennial-driven change within organizations and we welcome your thoughts on this. Have you seen any examples of companies that are embracing this shift? As for companies that have not already started discussing this issue, how do you think they should respond?

What could you do with $40?

No matter what political party you affiliate yourself with or not, all Americans who receive a paycheck are looking at a $1,000 tax hike because Congress did not approve a proposed payroll tax cut extension. If Congress does not act to approve the extension before January 1, 2012—which is very likely—the average American would see a $1,000 tax hike take place. Broken down, that $1,000 will cost the typical family about $1,000 a year, or $40 per paycheck. Also to consider, since payroll taxes are only collected on the first $106,800 of income, as noted by ABC News, “cutting the rate has the greatest impact on low and middle income earners, groups that tend to spend the largest proportion of their income.”

You may have seen an outpouring of responses from concerned citizens via social media, and in particular twitter using the #40dollars hashtag. The White House launched this initiative in the hopes of striking a chord with Congressman who seem unable to agree on the extension. The Washington Post reported that “Opponents of the payroll tax cut dismiss its impact by insisting $40 isn’t a lot of money,” David Plouffe, a senior White House adviser wrote in an email to supporters, “but that’s not the case for many families who are already working hard to make ends meet. Forty dollars buys a tank of gas or a fridge and pantry full of groceries. It covers a water bill or the cost of a prescription.”

What does $40 mean to you?

Failure is the name of the game

Jeff Stibel, Chairman and CEO of Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. recently posted in the Harvard Business Review blog about the importance of acknowledging and accepting failure—in one’s life and one’s work. For anyone this can be a challenging concept to embrace, especially for Millennials who are either just starting out in their careers or entering into a leadership role on their career path. Contrary to what I would say many believe about “failure” and what that failure says about someone, Stibel notes that “If you're not failing every now and then, you're probably not advancing. Mistakes are the predecessors to both innovation and success, so it is important to celebrate mistakes as a central component of any culture.”

As CEO of his company, Stibel has come to realize that “When you make a mistake, you're forced to look back and find out exactly where you went wrong, and formulate a new plan for your next attempt. By contrast, when you succeed, you don't always know exactly what you did right that made you successful (often, it's luck).”

 

And, that's where we've rounded out this week, but stay tuned and let us know your favorite picks and "wish I wrote this" moments. We're excited to reengage and look forward to making 2012 the year of the Social Citizen.

Each week, we’ll cull the interwebs for the most relevant articles, videos and commentary about Millennials and social change, and then present them right here in a weekly round-up.

It’s not to say we won’t also provide our own fresh content and perspectives throughout the week, because we will -- as will our provocative and savvy Social Citizen Ambassadors. But you can view this space as a central repository for all of the great stuff that’s filling our newsfeeds, twitter feeds, and Facebook streams. We’ll do the curating for you, just come by and pay us a visit – and drop a comment every now and then to let us know how we’re doing and what we’re missing. And now for this week’s round-up…

 

The Millennials: Best Generation Ever

Despite being touted as the most tech-savvy, educated and entrepreneurial generation by many, Millennials still face plenty of challenges today. As Cliff Kuang, Editor at Fast Company's Co.Design noted, “Simply put, they were born at the worst time in 50 years as far as careers go, having entered a horrid job market.”

In their latest infograph, Fast Company suggests that as a result of these “challenges,” Millennials are finding a “silver lining” to this situation by breaking out of traditional career paths and leveraging talents, skills and entrepreneurial ideas to shape their own futures. In this stat-packed infograph, Fast Company posits that this new found innovation is driven largely in part out of an economic necessity, and that’s a good thing.

 

The Next Generation of Leaders

It’s no secret that a change is coming to offices around the world as an increasing number of workers from the baby boomer generation retire. This inevitable “changing of the guard” has employers looking ahead for new ways to attract and retain younger employees—in particular Millennials who are poised to take on leadership roles within organizations.

Lauren Rikleen who runs the Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership just released an executive briefing called “Creating Tomorrow’s Leaders: the Expanding Roles of Millennials in the Workplace.” In the thought piece, Rikleen notes that “to successfully accomplish this [shift] will require capitalizing on the Millennials’ generational strengths and helping them overcome perceived weaknesses.”

Read more of Rikleen’s insights into this evolving leadership dynamic and learn what this change may mean for you and your organization or career.

 

Time Magazine Selects the “Protester” as Person of the Year

Just this week, Time Magazine paid tribute to this nameless and faceless figure of the protester, by awarding its “Person of the Year” title and cover to each and every one of them. Kurt Andersen from Time noted, “’Massive and effective street protest’ was a global oxymoron until — suddenly, shockingly — starting exactly a year ago, it became the defining trope of our times. And the protester once again became a maker of history.”

At Social Citizens, we look to this for inspiration in how people can change the course of history through dialogue and action. Taking a step back and removing ourselves from the specific issue, geographic area, or end result, we see the creation of movements that are bringing people together and facilitating change. What do you see?

 

And, that's where we've rounded out this week, but stay tuned and let us know your favorite picks and "wish I wrote this" moments. We're excited to reengage and look forward to making 2012 the year of the Social Citizen.

It’s hard to go anywhere today without hearing news about or seeing expressions of mourning for Steve Jobs, the late co-founder and CEO of Apple.  For me, my message of remembrance is one of thanks—thanks to Jobs for playing a pivotal part in shaping my generation and paving the way for greater innovation.

At the Case Foundation we believe strongly in taking risks, pushing the envelope and experimenting with technology in order to better understand how it can be leveraged for social good. Yesterday was an experiment in all of these things as we opened the “virtual” doors to the Millennial Donor Summit.

Conducted exclusively online, the conference set out to engage some of the most forward thinking voices in Millennial giving and engagement. We will be sharing a lot of take-aways from our event, both in terms of sharing the rich content and discussions that came out of the sessions, as well as the logistical back end work involved with conducting an online convening.

Our thanks go out to all who made the day a success -- our speakers, our participants from across the country who tuned in from coffee shops, conference rooms and hotel lobbies, and of course, to our partners at Achieve and JGA.

Here’s a quick round up of some of the stories and posts from around the web that covered the event and discussion topics. And the conversation continues on Twitter using the hashtag #MDS11.

• How To Get Fire in Your Organization’s Belly: Key Insight from the Millennial Donor Summit (Beth’s Blog)

• 7 things I learned about Millennial Engagement from Mr. Youth (Katya’s Nonprofit Marketing Blog)

• Live blogging from the 2011 Millennial Donor Summit: Exploring the Latest Millennial Research (Amy Sample Ward's Version of NPTech Blog)

• A fireside chat with Jean Case at #MDS11 (Nonprofit Nate)
• Microvolunteering: Small Jobs on Your Own Time #mds11 (Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog)

• Live blogging from the 2011 Millennial Donor Summit: The Generational Divide (Panel Discussion) (NTEN)

• Philanthropy’s Community: Observers, Fans, Evangelists & Ambassadors (Tactical Philanthropy)

• Applying Social Storytelling to Strategic Online Fundraising (Geoff Livingston)

If you missed out on the Summit, don’t worry – you can still catch all the action by registering for post-Summit access to all of the videos on www.mdsummit11.com.

Welcome to our special guest blog post series -"Millennial Perspectives: Voices of a Giving Generation." We hope you will join us each week until the Millennial Donor Summit on June 22, 2011, as we explore Millennial engagement with a variety of leading experts and practitioners.

This week, we've invited Daniel Kaufman, Co-Founder of the One Percent Foundation as well as Co-Founder of Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, a consulting firm that helps nonprofits develop and implement Millennial engagement strategies, to provide his take on how to tackle engagement barriers when it comes to fundraising, engagement and advocacy.

If you are reading this, you likely fall into one of two categories: either you work at a nonprofit or you are a Millennial (I’m hoping a large percentage of you are both!). As such, I’m guessing one of the following two scenarios sounds familiar:

If you are a nonprofit: You are sitting around a conference room table trying to figure out how to make your budget for the year. You and your dedicated, underpaid coworkers are trying to figure out the quickest, most effective fundraising strategy so that your organization can focus on changing the world. Inevitably you realize that you can get the most bang for your buck by focusing on major donors and large foundations. It certainly doesn’t make sense to invest time cultivating Millennials who might write a $50 check.

If you are a Millennial: You care about giving back, but you either don’t think you can afford to make a donation, don’t know which organizations are effective, and/or you don’t think you can achieve impact with your small donation. Most importantly, organizations that you might care about aren’t asking you to engage in a meaningful way. As a result, much of your giving tends to be in response to friends asking you to sponsor them in a race or support them at a fundraiser.

If we were on Craigslist, both sides would be posting under the category of Nonprofit-Millennial Missed Connections. Most nonprofits need operating funds now and can’t justify investing in Millennial donor cultivation that pays off over the long-term. Most Millennials take this lack of communication as meaning that nonprofits don’t value their engagement. The two parties seek each other but don’t actually talk to one another.

The findings in the Millennial Donors Report underscore the opportunity if we can change this reality. Millennials are eager to engage, so long as they have a trustworthy partner—whether that trust comes from the endorsement of their social networks, organizational transparency, or access to organizational leadership. This begs the question: How do Millennials and nonprofits work together to build and leverage trust?

Enter the One Percent Foundation (OPF), a Millennial-driven solution to the Missed Connection problem, one that seeks to empower Millennials to give in a sustained, generous, and strategic manner. OPF runs a network of online giving circles that engage Millennials earning an income for the first time. We seek to train, educate and engage our participants to use their limited resources to fund the ideas, organizations, and innovation that they are passionate about. Ultimately, OPF is building a broad-based movement of Millennial philanthropists that challenges the status quo by democratizing giving.

OPF’s giving circle model is relatively straightforward. Participants register online, commit to give at least one percent of their annual income to philanthropic causes, and establish monthly recurring donations through our website. We aggregate participants’ giving and facilitate a crowd-sourced, participatory grantmaking program whereby participants identify, assess, and ultimately select grant recipients. The One Percent Foundation program tackles the three key barriers to meaningful Millennial participation (affordability, knowledge, and impact). 

Embedded in OPF’s grantmaking process is the notion that our process breeds trust and thereby reinforces engagement. The first step of an OPF grant cycle is a nomination period whereby anyone in the OPF community (Millennials giving 1%) can recommend an organization to the circle. During the second phase, a small group of volunteers from the OPF community are trained to conduct due diligence on the nominated organizations. This “working group” speaks to staff members of the nominated nonprofits, examines theories of change, vets the organizations’ financials, and conducts independent research. OPF facilitates a conversation with the working group to narrow all of the nominees to five finalists. During the final phase, OPF educates the entire community about the finalists and asks them to vote online. The two organizations that receive the most votes receive a grant from OPF.

OPF’s grantmaking process tackles the three fundamental trust concerns of Millennials: organizations are only considered after they are endorsed by someone in the social network, nominees are vetted by the community, and participants get access to organizational leaders.

Ultimately, OPF is nothing more than a design solution to the Nonprofit-Millennial Missed Connection problem. We have created the conditions for Millennials to be able to easily access information and interact with nonprofits so they feel comfortable giving proactively.

I invite you to join me for my session at the Millennial Donor Summit on June 22 to learn more about the One Percent Foundation and how OPF and other creative solutions can enable nonprofits to better engage Millennials.

Welcome to our special guest blog post series - "Millennial Perspectives: Voices of a Giving Generation." We hope you will join us each week until the Millennial Donor Summit on June 22, 2011, as we explore Millennial engagement with a variety of leading experts and practitioners.

This week, we've invited Anne Tillema, Director of Development for Mobilize.org to address how fundraising is evolving among organizations.

As the Director of Development of Mobilize.org, a nonprofit organization that focuses on Millennials and investing in their ideas, and as someone with six years of experience in Direct Marketing (particularly Direct Mail) working with over 20 organizations, my fundraising experience expands across almost the entire spectrum of generations. Working in Direct Mail, my target audience was often 70-80 year olds, while today my fundraising focuses on Millennials and members of other generations who want to invest in them.

One thing I have learned from my experience – both in Direct Marketing and with Mobilize.org – is that you cannot make unfounded assumptions about your target audience, no matter what generation they belong to. I was glad to see that the Millennial Donor Survey is helping to shatter some of the assumptions people make about Millennials and their giving habits. Instead, this survey is helping replace these assumptions with theories based on feedback received directly from Millennials themselves – further broadening our understanding of this unique generation.

Many believe that Millennials are most interested in, and therefore most responsive to, solicitations through social media and email. Yet, according to the Millennial Donor Survey, “91% of Millennial donors are at least somewhat likely to respond to a face-to-face request for money from a nonprofit organization, with 27% highly likely to respond to such a request.” On the other hand, “only 8% are highly likely to respond to an email request.” This tells us that we need to make sure that we personally contact and connect with Millennials in our donor cultivations and requests in addition to reaching out to them online, something that many organizations are currently not doing.

At Mobilize.org, we feel it is important that we engage Millennials in discussions about issues affecting our communities and solicit their ideas for solutions, rather than making assumptions about their perspectives and missing out on their innovative suggestions. This same idea applies to Millennial Donors. We need to continue to engage Millennials in order to find out more about why they give, how they prefer to give, their preferred methods of interaction with organizations, what types of communication they prefer, how frequently the want to hear from organizations and their preferred forms of solicitation. We will not understand Millennials’ ideas unless we ask them directly.

So what does this mean?

We need to continue the work of the Millennial Donor Survey and reach out to the Millennials who are donors, volunteers, staff members and even board members of our nonprofits. We need to engage them so that we can learn more about the Millennials involved in our own organizations and make adjustments to our communication and donor strategy accordingly.

Each organization is different and now that we understand more about Millennials and their general giving patterns, we can drill down and learn more about the specifics as they relate to each nonprofit organization. Conduct further surveys, test messages and techniques (both online and offline), segment your fundraising efforts by generation and study giving patterns to see how Millennial donors are currently engaging with your organization and their preferences for the future. The findings can only help expand the role that this important generation, with over 80 million members, can play within our organizations.

Millennials are already an essential part of our nonprofit organizations – and their roles and importance continues to grow. Moving forward, we must involve all generations connected to our nonprofits as we decide on our strategies and plans for the future.

To learn more about Mobilize.org and our work empowering and engaging Millennials, visit www.Mobilize.org.