Many thanks to the Chronicle of Philanthropy [1] for running an op-ed from our own Allison Fine [2] on — what else? — Millennials! In this piece, Allison covers how Millennials can help nonprofits embrace social media for social change, and how the nonprofits need to understand this generation’s diverse roles as employees, volunteers, and activists.
Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite:
Almost invariably, the first question posed by many nonprofit leaders is: “What is the best tool to reach young people?”
There is no one silver-bullet blog or Web site. Organizations must stop looking for the “killer app” to connect with millennials and start examining their own organizational culture. They must ask themselves:
- Why do you want to connect with them?
- What conversation do you want to have with them?
- How open are you to listening to them?
- What will you allow them to do that you don’t feel you have to control?
Find Allison’s recommendations (and the whole piece) here [3]. Any questions/answers you think she missed? Share them with us!
Comments
Great article. I would like to underscore the importance of having an organizational structure that encourages millennial engagement. At the nonprofit I work for, we’ve spent much time as a staff evaluating our non-hierarchal, lateral structure and concluded that while it takes more awareness and initiative from individuals in many ways, the productivity, creativity and growth opportunities it creates far outweigh the added effort. We have 5 millennials on our staff of 7, and I’m confident that the lateral structure is a large part of that. Similarly, empowering volunteers to engage in self-motivated, meaningful ways can result in stronger commitments and unanticipated opportunities for the organization.