How Non-Profits Can Motivate Millennials to Join Their Cause

This past summer, a craze swept the nation. It seemed innocent at first – some would say slightly amusing – but then it began to grow, and build, and spread, until it became almost unavoidable. Soon you began to see videos like this. I am, of course, talking about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Some critics said the success of this powerful campaign had less to do with a desire to give and more to do with millennial narcissism. While we are a generation that enjoys making ridiculous videos of ourselves and putting them on YouTube, the truth is that the challenge raised over $100 million for ALS, which means there also has to be some altruism in our generation.

It’s clear that millennials want to make a difference in their communities. In fact, the 2014 Millennial Impact Report study found that 87% of young professionals aged 20-35 had donated to causes in 2013 and 47% percent of those surveyed had volunteered in the past month. This generation has shown it has great potential for community service.

There are a number of theories on what non-profits can do to attract millennials, but no matter how these organizations market themselves to this generation, they should try to demonstrate how involvement will be at least one of the following:

Future-affecting – In other words, how will it make a difference in the future of the community? Millennials, like other generations, want to feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. They want to work together toward common goals and a mission they believe in. And they want their time and donation dollars to be spent wisely and to accomplish real change.
Fulfilling – Beyond having an impact on the community, what other ways can young adults gain a sense of fulfillment through getting involved in your non-profit? This can come from building personal relationships, learning opportunities and numerous other benefits.
Fun – This may not apply to all aspects of volunteering, but if millennials can see the ways in which helping your organization can be enjoyable, it’s a nice plus, especially when there are so many activities competing for their limited time and attention.

The Ice Bucket Challenge was a major success because making the videos was fun, donating affected the future of ALS research, and participants felt a degree of fulfillment after having donated. By appealing to these same motivators, non-profit organizations can attract millennials and expand their reach, ultimately furthering their missions.