Photo courtesy of williamhartz.
Our environmental resources are diminishing, our economy is crumbling, and according to a Washington Post Breaking News Alert that came in as I was writing this, “more Americans are going hungry” (49 million to be precise). Even as our problems seemingly become more and more complex, we are also being asked to take the reins, to look to the future and to predict what’s next for the nonprofit sector. We know that business as usual (if ever there was such a thing) is no longer going to cut it and it seems we’ll never go back to our pre-crisis standing. So, how do we take hold of this moment in time, and what role will the rising generation of Millennials have in helping lead the change?
Earlier this month, the James Irvine Foundation released a new study, Convergence: How Five Trends Will Reshape the Social Sector. In it, LaPiana Consulting outlines five ways the nonprofit sector will be redefining its role, noting that, “The nonprofit sector is at an inflection point that will fundamentally reshape it long after the recession, when surviving nonprofits find themselves in a new reality — not just economically, but demographically, technologically and socially.” The five trends focus on the following areas:
- Demographic shifts that redefine participation
- Abundant technological advances
- Networks that enable work to be organized in new ways
- Rising interest in civic engagement and volunteerism
- Blurring sectoral boundaries
While reading the report, I couldn’t help but reflect back almost two years ago, to the beginning of Social Citizens. As I worked with Allison Fine to develop the key themes of the report, you’ll find some commonalities. Remember, our goal was to see how the future of the nonprofit sector was being reimagined through the lens of the Millennial Generation. We defined a social citizen as someone who is, “energetic and passionate about social causes; brimming with new approaches and ideas for problem solving; disposed toward sharing the responsibilities and rewards of affecting change in the world; and using digital tools and people power (on and offline social networks) to make it happen.”
We found some distinguishing characteristics of “social citizens” – let’s take them point for point in comparison to the above study.
- Demographic shifts: Millennials are the most ethnically diverse generation in our history
- Technological advances: Millennials are net natives, growing up with cell phones in tow
- Organized Networks: Millennials go against hierarchical structures and have adopted a new collaborative style of leadership
- Civic engagement/volunteering: Millennials are volunteering at the highest rates of any generation
- Sector Boundaries: Millennials are merging lines between for profit and nonprofit structures and concepts. Social activism has become a new marketplace where goods and services are exchanged not just for money and profit, but good social outcomes.
I applaud the Convergence report for pointing out what’s changing and what it will take to survive amid these changes, and I hope that as a sector we’ll begin to break down some of the generational boundaries that still abound. Call me naïve or an idealistic Millennial, but there has perhaps never been a better time to experiment, to let go of the status quo, and to embrace new opportunities for change. We need to look at the world through a new lens.
The rising generation has a lot of ideas, and we’re being invited to more tables as evidenced by the record number of NextGener’s who participated at the Independent Sector Conference earlier this month. Since Millennials seem to be inclined toward the types of behaviors that will shape the future of the sector, don’t you think greater cross generational collaboration could help ensure a smoother transition? How can we continue to bridge these generational gaps and recognize we're all in this together?