4 Ways Millennials Impact the Nonprofit Workforce

July 28, 2020 Ross Hendrickson

Born from approximately 1981 to 1996, Millennials are primarily between ages 24 and 39. While popular media often refer to all young people as Millennials, it’s important to discern that this generation of individuals is now entering or fully integrated into the workforce.

The Millennial generation differs greatly from those who came before, Gen X and who came after, Gen Z. As your organization considers the role that young professionals can play in the staffing or contributions made to your organization, it’s important to understand the qualities and characteristics that make this generation unique.

When you understand the unique aspects of this group, you can make educated decisions about how to make your nonprofit an attractive place to work and volunteer, as well as motivate those who currently work for your mission.

That being said, here are the top four characteristics of the Millennial generation and how those characteristics impact their influence in the nonprofit workforce:

Millennials engage more with causes and missions rather than institutions.
They see contributions of time and action as significantly important.
This generation is technologically apt and connected.
Culture tends to be incredibly important to the millennial generation.

As you expand your team with new staff members and volunteers, be sure you take into account the motivations and characteristics of each individual. Remain transparent in your approach to get everyone involved and up to date with your strategy. This is attractive to both your Millennial team members and other generations.

Ready to dive a little deeper into the characteristics of Millennials and how your organization can make them feel welcome and productive? Let’s get started.

1. Millennials Engage With Causes Over Institutions

According to the Millennial Impact Report, the Millennial generation engages more and has allegiance to a mission or a cause rather than an organization itself. This means that this generation of volunteers and staff will feel dedicated to your mission, but not necessarily to your organization. If another organization has the same mission, they wouldn’t mind switching their allegiance.

This quality in Millennials is key to understanding what will attract them to work with and contribute to the organization, but also what will make them stay and work with you long-term.

If you’re working with many Millennials at your organization, make sure to:

Write out a complete, descriptive, and detailed mission statement that will capture their attention. This is what draws them into working with you and clearly explains what your organization is working to accomplish.

Include this mission statement on marketing documents and job descriptions. As you’re attracting younger generations to work with your organization, place your mission statement front and center for them to see.

Center your strategic plan around the impact and philanthropic goals of the organization. Because Millennials are passionate about your cause, tying organizational actions to the impact they’ll have on the mission will engage and further motivate these individuals. Bloomerang’s strategic planning guide explains that your goal should never just be to “raise money.” Rather, you’re working to achieve a specific philanthropic initiative with a specific amount of money that you need to raise.

If your organization finds yourself in an uncertain or unsteady environment and want to make sure your team of staff members, specifically Millennial staff, stay focused on what’s important, you may consider switching to an organic strategic planning model.

This model is used to solidify your team’s understanding of your philanthropic mission and identify individuals’ strengths in order to best put those strengths together to serve the mission. This keeps the focus on the mission itself rather than on your organization.

2. They see contributions of time and action as significantly important.

Contrary to corporate businesses, nonprofit organizations don’t rely solely on their staff members to get things done for the organization. They also heavily depend on volunteers to fill in the gaps for events, office duties, and other administrative tasks.

This is a great strategy! Many small to mid-sized nonprofits may not have the funding to expand their team to fulfill each and every need during peak events or giving seasons. Volunteers help engage supporters, achieve philanthropic goals, and save organization funding.

It’s important to note, especially if your nonprofit wants to attract Millennial volunteers, that this generation sees contributions of time and action as just as important as donations.

Bloomerang pulled some statistics from the Millennial Impact Report, featured in this article and the graph below:

As you can see, Millennial cause engagement is fairly equally divided between volunteering, donating, and advocacy participation. This group of individuals believes they can make an impact on the world through many means. This differs from the mindset that donations are the most impactful way to give to a nonprofit organization. Millennials find their contribution of time and energy just as important.

Therefore, your nonprofit should show ample appreciation for volunteers, get the most from volunteer programs, and come up with creative opportunities. For instance, consider the following strategies:

Be sure to track volunteer engagement. Tracking volunteer engagement is crucial for comprehensive supporter profiles in your nonprofit CRM. This way, you can also better show appreciation for these individuals. Tracking volunteer hours alongside the donations you receive ensures you thank supporters for all contributions equally.

Promote volunteer grant opportunities. Double the Donation’s volunteer grant guide explains that many companies offer a financial match to nonprofits when their employees volunteer a certain number of hours. Informing volunteers about this opportunity and encouraging them to look up their own eligibility will help make your volunteer hours go further.

Create creative volunteer opportunities for supporters. Younger Millennials are still getting their foot in the door with their careers. Finding opportunities for them to expand their resumes and develop valuable skills while helping an organization they love is a great incentive for this group of volunteers.

Many nonprofits have a bad habit of putting more emphasis on contributions of money rather than contributions of time. However, the Millennial generation considers both to be critical to achieving your mission. Therefore, treating volunteering as important and valuable within your organization will only help you engage more supporters.

3. This generation is technologically apt and connected.

It’s probably not a surprise to hear that Millennials are good with technology. You’ve probably read somewhere about how the use of social media and technology are key to engaging Millennials and Gen Z. However, this is not the only consideration when it comes to Millennials and technology.

Your nonprofit probably uses a variety of software solutions for your internal affairs. This article explains some of the different types of technology that nonprofits invest in, such as donor and volunteer management, fundraising, prospect research, event management, grant, and auction software solutions.

When it comes to your nonprofit’s staff members, you’ll probably find that your Millennial workforce will better understand how to engage others using technology.

Your Millennial staff members grew up in the midst of a technological boom. They’ve seen the evolution of technology and learned to adapt to these changes from a young age. Therefore, they’re more likely to quickly understand how each of these software solutions work and the potential they have to help your organization succeed. They can identify how you can strategically use these solutions to best engage your audience.

For instance, consider the following:

Your marketing software may have the functionality to post to various social media sites. Having grown up in the age of social media, your Millennials can accurately and effectively craft messages ideal for each of the different social media platforms, choosing detailed images for Instagram, writing content for Facebook, and crafting short witty Tweets.

Effective fundraising software offers different ways of giving and various campaign types. Millennials in your workforce may have insight into what type of campaign will best appeal to the audience (especially if that audience is other Millennials). You may use a text-to-give campaign during events, a standard donation page for giving days, and a peer-to-peer campaign leading up to various activities.

The Millennial generation has seen the advancement of technology throughout their lives. They can attest to how it is best used because they have grown up watching expert markers at work! Asking for Millennial staff input about your use of technology can help you better strategize and understand how to maximize its use.

4. Culture tends to be incredibly important to the millennial generation.

The Baby Boomer Generation was well-known for being driven by money and prosperity. The quality of their work was directly influenced by financial compensation. However, Millennials take more into consideration than simply a paycheck. For instance, company and organization culture is of vital importance to retaining your Millennial workforce.

While money is still an important factor to motivate Millennials in your workforce, a holistic approach to compensation will take into consideration the benefits and culture in which they work, which are both highly valued by this generation.

When you’re deciding on a nonprofit compensation package for employees, make sure to take a total rewards compensation approach. This type of approach takes into consideration the following factors:

Direct compensation
Benefits like PTO, health insurance, dental, 401(K) matching, etc.
Performance management styles
Work-life balance
Organization culture

Millennials are more likely to respond well to a well-rounded compensation approach rather than simply being motivated by the money.

Therefore, your organization should consider how you’re developing a team culture among your employees to keep your Millennial staff members motivated. Try planning team activities for your nonprofit staff to do together like a book club (about your mission!), setting team goals and providing incentives to reach those goals, and planning outings to do together (like company holiday parties).

If you have volunteers who also work with your organization regularly, consider inviting them along to some of these team activities! This way, when it comes time to hire new staff members, you’ve already set expectations and have access to a pool of potential employees who understand how the organization works.

The Millennial generation has unique motivations and approaches to their work and to nonprofits. Understanding how they differ from previous generations will help your nonprofit ensure your Millennial workforce is motivated and retained over the years. Good luck!

About the Author:

Ross Hendrickson is a co-founder and the CEO of Bloomerang. Prior to co-founding Bloomerang, he served as Product Manager for Bostech Corporation and later Avectra. Ross serves on the Horizon Council, the young professionals leadership council of the Indianapolis-based nonprofit Conner Prairie’s He graduated with a B.S. in Economics & Engineering Science from Vanderbilt University.

Recognizing Volunteer Trends

June 20, 2018June 20, 2018 Josanna E. Berg-Hammond

Volunteer coordinators are always looking for new team members – and volunteer trends are a good place to start. At VolunteerLocal, we’ve noticed a few trends that seem to be popping up more and more across the country. Below, we’ve listed some of the top trends we’re seeing that may help you find your next great volunteer.

Businesses are Getting Involved

More and more businesses are looking for ways to make a group outing a way of giving back to their community. Whether it’s a major corporation that just moved into town or a small business with 10 dedicated team members, there are so many opportunities to get help for your cause. Try reaching out to the HR team at the company with a bit about your organization, what kind of help you need and see if they might be interested. For this kind of outreach, offering an opportunity for a large group to come to help out all at once can be a great option.

Colleges are Looking for New Partners

Colleges offer a wealth of volunteers with varied schedules and a passion for changing the world. We’re seeing a growth in millennial activism and with that, there are plenty of willing volunteers walking around local campuses. With colleges, you can often reach out to a specific organization on campus that’s just right for your cause. Maybe the track and field team can help at your next marathon or students in the communications school are able to do social media outreach for your event.

Schools are Teaching Civic Duty

Volunteers aren’t just walking around college campuses these days; they’re also bounding through the halls of elementary schools. More and more primary education teachers are looking for ways to teach students about civic engagement. While high school kids are old enough to help with quite a lot, you’d be surprised what the little ones can do too. Stuffing envelopes and making signs are simple and fun ways to get younger kids involved.

So get out there and broaden your base! There are people of all ages looking to help, and keeping an eye out for volunteers in the places you might not normally think to look might just win you a lot of new volunteers.

Creating a Hype Squad

June 19, 2018June 19, 2018 Josanna E. Berg-Hammond

There are lots of important volunteer jobs – but what about one that keeps your volunteers excited to be a part of your movement? Enter: The Hype Squad. Take those energetic teens and millennials in your volunteer base and create a team to hype everyone up about your event and organization’s mission.

At the Event

When you start scheduling out each role for your event, why not leave 15-minute shifts here or there for a small crew to get the other volunteers excited? Send them out with bottles of water, small pieces of swag or (our personal favorite) snacks! Giving volunteers that quick acknowledgment that you’re glad they’re there can be a huge morale boost and keep everyone excited for the cause.

On the Ground

Get your organization evangelists out to the masses! Create a small team of people who will go the extra mile in getting the word out about your organization. Make sure this team has a clear understanding of your mission, some literature/pins/swag and a genuine interest in getting the word out. We’re not necessarily suggesting you send them out to a street corner to yell about your cause, but outreach can be as easy as talking about it at a party or posting flyers at school.

Virtual Squad

While face-to-face is always great, social media is a hype squad’s best friend. See if volunteers are able to share news about your event and organization on their social media accounts and offer ideas for how to share to make it even easier (a selection of event photos, sample tweets, etc.). Encouraging your team to take photos while volunteering and creating organizational hashtags will get the word out fast about what your crew is doing and attract more volunteers.

Most of all, make sure your organization has a mission that people can get behind. Help volunteers understand why your team is so important and how much you can help your community so you can create a team that truly wants to hype your cause.

Mind the Gap: Managing Generational Differences in Your Volunteer Force

June 1, 2018June 5, 2018 Jordan Maze

FREE PIZZA! FREE PIZZA!

While this tactic might work to gather young folks to learn about your cause, it probably won’t be a selling point for older generations. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as enough pizza. As baby boomers begin to retire and have more free time for contributing to their causes, and younger generations feel more connected and civically-minded, it’s crucial to make all ages feel engaged when volunteering.

It’s true that most folks volunteer thanks to a genuine desire to help their communities. However, research suggests that motivations vary by generation.

How can a volunteer manager bridge this gap, pointing out individual successes while cultivating a community that brings everyone together?

Step one – be creative. Flyering in a coffee shop and making a Facebook event might not cut it. Talk to current volunteers about what events they are attending and ask them to help you recruit there. Reach out to new media sources and venture to new parts of town. Utilize your organization’s network – if they’re passionate about your mission, they’ll be thrilled to help!

Step two – be deliberate. Once you’ve got a solid crew of volunteers, learn as much as you can about them. Consider personality types – who is going to be a great leader of a committee, and who has the technical skills to get work done fast? Establish a clear problem-solving protocol so that your volunteers know from the get-go that they can be honest with you and their teams.

Step three – be gracious. Consider your volunteers’ motivations when expressing your gratitude. A young volunteer might like to know how her contribution directly impacted the organization’s mission, whereas an older volunteer might like to know how his contribution made you feel. When possible, let each volunteer know that you are paying attention to them and are thankful for their specific abilities.

The benefits of age diversity in your volunteer group are obvious: more perspectives, more community engagement, and a better network. But it goes beyond that. One study on age diversity suggests that having people of different generations making complex decisions together leads to higher work performance and self-reported health. Thinking beyond the free pizza to engage volunteers of all ages is a great step for your organization and for your community.

Managing Volunteers of All Ages

December 6, 2017December 7, 2017 Anne Summers

There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution when coordinating volunteers, which is part of the fun – but also poses serious challenges.

Communicating with volunteers typically falls into the “challenging” category, especially when you consider the variety of ages represented in your volunteer pool. How can you best manage and effectively communicate to a diverse crowd?

Priorities.

Each life stage has a slightly different set of priorities. By keeping these in your mind both when thinking about your communication strategies and when in the midst of volunteer interactions, you can deftly navigate the sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant differences among your volunteers.

Let’s take a look at some life stages and think through how to best meet each of their needs.

Retired:

Now let’s be clear before we begin. Retirement age means a lot of different things to different people, but in our context as volunteer managers, age is such a value! Typically speaking, people in this demographic have the most available time and a positive volunteer mindset.

Sometimes this extra time manifests in desiring an abundance of detailed information. Be aware of this in your emails and be sure you’re offering plenty of details to properly equip your volunteers and align your expectations. They may also be the most prone to contact you directly for follow-up questions, but don’t be surprised if lasting friendships develop out of these conversations!

Parents:

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this demographic is how much they are on. the. go. Whether they’re children are preschoolers or teenagers, college students or adults, parents tend to log a lot of car time and juggle several full schedules. This mindset is incredibly helpful on the day of an event, as they’re well versed in working in a fast-paced, order-in-the-chaos environment. Use that to your advantage!

When considering how to communicate with parents, remember their life is often sorted out in bullet points – and you can make the most of that, too. Keep the most important information in the top three bullet points, and make sure your information is visually organized for easy access. How mobile friendly is your email communication? How can you improve the efficiency your language? Keeping these priorities in mind makes a big impact.

Singles & Newlyweds:

Though some people view Millennials as upholding their current, somewhat-sordid reputation, your volunteer base has a significant deficit without them. Yes, we’re not always great at responding. Yes, we like to keep our options open and trend away from commitment. But when we find something that we believe in? Watch out!

Gaining buy-in from people in this life stage requires connecting the work with a greater cause, but intentionally developing this bridge increases the overall awareness of your event in addition to growing and securing your number of volunteers. Dripping some of this vision language throughout your communication helps people remember why they volunteer with you and grows excitement. Use the creativity and prevalence of social media to connect your event to broader meaning.

Teenagers:

Too often people disregard volunteers at both ends of the age spectrum. But don’t count out teenagers! As someone who works with teenagers on a weekly basis, I can attest that with the right blend of autonomy and supervision, these kids will exceed your expectations.

When coordinating student volunteers, keep in mind they may have different challenges than other demographics. They may not have easy access to transportation, not be in the habit of checking email, nor have a lot of experience, but they still have much to offer. Lay out some clear expectations and perhaps an adult partner to model what volunteering is meant to like, and enjoy a fresh infusion of energy!

This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but it is intended to get you thinking about how your volunteers live when they’re not with you. Remembering and celebrating the variety of priorities and challenges of each life stage makes you more effective and makes your event more successful.

How to Attract Millennial Volunteers

November 7, 2017November 8, 2017 Josanna E. Berg-Hammond

Millennial volunteers are a goldmine for coordinators.

Tech-savvy, passionate and willing to help, Millennials can make up an incredible workforce for your organization. But how do you get them hooked on helping you out? Research shows that Millennials respond well to good design, relevant content and organizations with a strong mission that give back to the community. We’ve rounded up a few easy ways to get Millennial volunteers to your organization and to keep them coming back.

What’s the Website? Millennials, and just about everyone else at this point, hop on a website for nearly everything they need. If your organization’s website still looks like it was created in 2008, chances are you’re not grabbing Millennial attention as best as you could. A clean, visually appealing site with easy-to-access information will take you far with Millennials looking for a quick reference point for your organization.

Keep it Social. Social media is a top way for Millennials to communicate with their peers (and then some), so offering a well-rounded social media presence to your volunteers is key. A strong Instagram account, designated hashtags for your event and live updates with platforms like Facebook Live and Snapchat offer volunteers an opportunity to share their volunteering experience with their social circles. Bonus: they can help spread the word about your organization to friends and followers!

Swag. Everyone loves swag, but Millennials are especially excited about the offer of free anything. Shirts, caps and tote bags are classics, but you can also get creative with branded koozies, visors, fannypacks and more. And, when in doubt, offer snacks! Something as simple as a few bags of chips and some seltzer water goes a long way.

Be Transparent. At the end of the day, volunteers are there because they care about your organization. Have a well thought out mission statement and ample information on how your organization helps your community. Offering a clear, concise explanation of what your organization does gives volunteers a quick way to explain why they’re volunteering for your specific event.

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