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Young people are a major force for development and social change. During the pandemic, the CNBC reported that millennials and Gen Z donated the most to family, friends, and nonprofit organizations, compared to the other age groups surveyed. This is a great example of how youth can be a valuable source of support for communities and organizations.
Nonprofit organizations must reach out to young people and engage them in investing their time and resources towards a cause.Young people have ways of communicating and taking action distinct from previous generations, so connecting with them has to be strategic and planned.
Here are a few ways you can attract young people to support, donate, and volunteer for your nonprofit organization.
Utilize social media
Millennials and Generation Z are no strangers to social media, and it's a crucial tool for marketing and promotions. Forbes magazine notes that social media is essential for increasing an organization’s reach and visibility. There are several nonprofits that have succeeded in using social media to launch their campaigns, such as the World Wide Fund for Nature and it's hashtag for Earth Hour.
While social media postings are free, you'll need greater effort on your end to continuously come up with innovative and interactive content suitable for your chosen platform. For example, Twitter is great for real-time updates and two-way communication with your followers, while TikTok and Instagram audiences can be captured by fun and entertaining visuals.
Tell a story
Communicating your organization's story can also draw your young audiences into supporting your cause. Maryville University highlights nonprofit Alex’s Lemonade Stand and how the story of its founderAlexandra “Alex” Scott moved people to raise millions of dollars for pediatric cancer research and patient support. Personal stories like these resonate with audiences, and are crucial for drawing in support.
Try identifying the key figures in your organization, and which achievements and challenges have shaped it to become what it is today. More than abstract ideas, a unique and purpose-driven story will create a lasting impact and touch young people’s lives.
Be transparent about what your organization does
The youth don’t give with just their hearts, but also their minds. They want to get involved with organizations that make a tangible difference in the world. Donors in particular deserve to know whether their contributions are being managed and invested efficiently.
An article on The Fulcrum emphasizes transparency in activist networks and nonprofit organizations, citing The ClimateCommitment’s transparent communication and breakdown of its policy agenda and concrete priorities. Transparency in your organization means providing truthful information about your organization’s projects and their measurable results, which boosts trust and confidence and turns young people into long-term supporters.
Make it easy to get involved
Knowing that millennials and Generation Z are digital natives can also inform how you streamline your nonprofit organization’s systems and processes.Ensure that your organization’s website, emails, and social media channels contain accessible information on how to sign up as volunteers and how to make donations.
It's also best to optimize your donation pages to be mobile-friendly, so young people can easily make contributions with just a few taps on their phones. Infinite Giving provides nonprofits with giving links so you can appeal to young, tech-savvy donors whose preferred donation method is cryptocurrency. We can then convert crypto into cash so it can be deposited into your organization’s account.
Young people continue to influence the landscape of philanthropy and volunteerism, making it crucial for nonprofit organizations to learn how to ride the wave of the digital age. With the increasing use of cryptocurrency and other technologies among the youth, Infinite Giving equips nonprofits with the knowledge and resources needed to fully harness the potential of emerging financial technology.
This post was written by guest writer Sophia James for Infinite Giving.
