I published this article on Fission Strategy's blog as a New Media Intern.
Let’s replay this oh-so-familiar American scenario: Nonprofit representative on the streets desperately trying to make eye contact: “Excuse me, do you have a minute to talk about children living in poverty around the world?”
(Almost) Every person walking by: “No, sorry.” “Not interested, thanks.” (Ignore).
That’s been you, right? Don’t lie, we all get a little annoyed when we see canvassers standing in our path trying to convince us to donate money for the suffering children around the world.
I’ve never been a fan of this method of engagement. But, on an impulsive whim one afternoon, I decided to give the lady on the street a shot. Her first question was, “What are you doing to help stop poverty around the world?”
Hm, I thought. “Probably nothing.”
“That’s right! So here’s how you can help…”
She proceeded to show me laminated pictures of sad children who can’t afford to get an education. Then, she asked me where I’d like to “help out.” It took her 7 minutes to finally get to how much money she was looking to get from me that day.
Yes, all she wanted was $6 a week to sponsor a suffering child. Yes, this is the equivalent of not getting Starbucks twice a week. My problem is that I personally don’t know this suffering child. As a Millennial digital native, I “follow” and “friend” the people and organizations that I trust to provide me with information I care about. So in return, it takes very little convincing for me to help my friends raise money for a cause they care about when shared with me online. Replace my trusted friend with the canvassing stranger and you have a much higher threshold of persuading to achieve (even if the laminated kid is adorable).
I’m not the only Millennial that feels this way. According to the 2012 Millennial Impact Report that surveyed Millennials ages 20-35, only 17% preferred learning about nonprofits through face-to-face interactions, versus 65% wanting to learn from nonprofit websites, 55% from social media and 47% from e-newsletters. You have to keep in mind, nonprofit lady, that millennials grew up with the Internet, and in our everyday world of connecting with our friends through 140 character tweets and 15 second Instagram videos, we want and expect to connect with nonprofits in the same fashion.
So, how should nonprofits effectively engage with millennials on their terms? Based on the Millennial Impact Report and the research findings of Derrick Feldmann and Kari Dunn Saratovsky in their book, Cause for Change, nonprofits should use the following 4 tips as a checklist for developing their millennial engagement and outreach strategies:
1) Use a multi-channel approach to keep in touch with Millennials wherever they are. With your organization’s website as the central hub of information, make sure to interact with Millennials on mobile, email and social media platforms that connect back to your website. Mobile Commons found great success when using a mobile outreach strategy in tandem with email for a year-end nonprofit fundraising push with The Humane Society of the United States. All of these channels should present clear calls to action, as 42% of Millennials react in less than one minute to action campaigns that inspire them in the moment, and a lot do so through mobile.
2) Mobile website optimization is key for engaging Millennials. Of the Millennials surveyed, 77% owned smartphones, and of the 23% that didn’t, 70% planned to get one. On top of this, 80% of Millennials are reading about causes on their mobile devices, versus doing so from a desktop. In order to increase action, nonprofits can limit their mobile websites to only the most important content that can be easily accessed with large buttons to press on and minimal typing on the users’ end.
3) Your website must clearly answer their first 3 questions:
“What does your nonprofit do?” Focus group participants in the Millennial Impact Report expressed their desire to understand exactly what a nonprofit does in a split-second, as 88% said the “About Us” section is the first place they go to on a nonprofit’s website. Make sure your mission statement is clear and concise, but also filled with value and meaning.
“How can I get involved?” After understanding your cause, Millennials will look to see how they can help. While some may seek leadership roles, others will just want to sign a petition, or attend a volunteer event offline. Make sure you offer a wide range of opportunities to suit all levels of engagement.
“How does my participation help the cause?” The more transparent and tangible your solutions are, the more likely Millennials will take action. Instead of just asking for a donation to support your cause, ask them to donate $25 that will cover school supplies for a child in poverty. If Millennials are unsure about how their donation is going to further your cause, then their short-attention span will kick in and kick your cause out of their mind.
4) Provide micro-volunteer opportunities that can lead them down the “Volunteer Continuum.”
Photo Credit: Care2
Millennials naturally consider tweeting about your cause, or sharing your website’s link with their Facebook network as a form of supportive activism for your cause. It is a mistake to not consider these actions as volunteerism because peer involvement is the biggest influencer of giving with millennials. Try providing millennials with small, actionable ways of getting involved with a few of their friends.
Fission recently built ONE a targeted friend inviter for their action dashboard, allowing new members to easily join the movement by connecting through Facebook, Twitter or email, and then inviting their friends to do the same with a Facebook invite message or a pre-written tweet and email. Sharing these experiences with friends allows your message to be shared by a more trusted source across more networks than your organization could effectively engage with directly.
Once you have a Millennial excited about engaging with your organization on a micro-level, they will likely look to your website for deeper involvement and leadership opportunities. Be prepared to offer them these chances, whether it’s a Youth Advisory Board position, starting a local chapter in their community or even a virtual internship, Millennials crave for the chance to use their creativity in offering solutions for the world’s most complex social issues. It’s much more gratifying than giving our money to the canvassing lady on the street.