Millennials as Your Members & Donors

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnygoldstein/

Individuals born since and including 1981 are known as the Millennial generation. A recent study from the Giving USA Foundation and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University offers interesting information the trends of this demographic group that makes up 1/3 of the current workforce and 20% of the United States population.  The photo above represents targeted advertising to this demographic group.

Although Millennials currently give significantly less of their household income to charity than Boomers, ($557/year versus $2,613/year), they represent the longest term potential commitment to your department in terms of volunteer and donor support. 

Potential donors in the Millennial generation want more hands-on, direct experiences with nonprofits before they start donating. They also want a voice in how the organization operates. Few nonprofit experiences are more hands-on than becoming a part of a volunteer fire department team. This can be effectively balanced with the command structure of emergency response.

Some report highlights include:

1. 93% of Millennials regularly go online, with 50% of this population using a mobile device to access the Internet.
2. 72% of online Millennials use social networking sites, with 71% using Facebook.

 More details about the report and other similar studies are available starting here. 

What lessons can you take from this report as you work to connect your department with more potential members and donors? 

1. Would any of your current Millennial members be willing to post on Facebook about what being part of your department means to them?
2. Once some of the above information has been shared, consider using Facebook and other social networking sites to invite friends to membership meetings to learn more.
3. Don't overlook offering your members of every generation the opportunity to invest in your department. Their experience is extremely hands-on. They see firsthand the difference funding makes in effective response to the 911 call. Although not everyone will give, not offering the chance surely leaves support on the table.

What's working well at your department in terms of appreciating the gifts each generation brings?