Everyone is talking about the impact Millennials are having on the workforce. They are now officially the largest portion of the workforce, leading to changes in the status quo. In that same vein, Millennials are also reinventing the way philanthropy operates. Let’s explore how they are doing so.
Millennials Like it Kept Simple
Millennials understand that philanthropies and charities are doing extremely nuanced work to support a cause. They don’t need to be told this, instead, keep it simple. If a charity’s goal is to end hunger, Millennials want to hear just that. This is a generation that has grown up with technology and are used to short, concise messaging.
Millennials Appreciate a Story
As a Millennial, you are constantly bombarded with messaging all day, every day. This leads to much apathy when it comes to scanning their inbox or reading their mail. What a Millennial does appreciate however, is a meaningful and well told story. Charities need to personalize their approaches to Millennials in order to get them interested in donating their time or money. Instead of showing statistics, tell Millenials a story about a specific individual within your charity.
Millennials Respond to Urgency
If philanthropic organizations want Millennial’s support, they need to communicate the urgency of their matter. While every initiative and mission takes time to be completed, there is always one aspect to the cause that can be addressed immediately. Speak to that when it comes to marketing to Millennials. For example, if their donation can provide ten people with clean water within the day, say that! Millennials respond to urgency and concrete examples.
As this generation begins to amass income, pay down their loans from college and settle into money spending and saving patterns, we are beginning to see their philanthropic trends more clearly. Having grown up with technology surrounding them, Millennials respond differently to everything, and philanthropy is no different. Millennials like things kept short and simple, they appreciate a good story and they will respond to urgency.
