Originally Posted on Groupon Grassroots - PhilanthroTech
by Derrick Feldmann and Kari Saratovsky, co-authors of the newly released Cause for Change: The Why and How of Nonprofit Millennial Engagement
The first decade of the twenty-first century brought with it significant change—socially, economically, politically and of course technologically—and we can expect that even more radical changes are yet to come. Change is nothing new, but the accelerated speed of change in today’s society demands that nonprofits think and act differently in order to keep up. The business models and hierarchical structures that are all too common in traditional nonprofit institutions will not allow for the same kind of engagement in the connected age.
As a society we are building and enhancing technology platforms faster than ever before. As new technology and social platforms are released, it is in large part the 80 Million members of the Millennial generation who are the first to test it, familiarize ourselves with it, train those around us in how to use it, and even find ways to reinvent change with it. But this also creates a vicious cycle because as soon as we’ve done all of that – there’s a new app, platform or device that catches our eye and we start all over again.
Of course Millennials are not the only demographic adopting new technology platforms. But with 95 percent of Millennials online, it’s safe to say being connected is a daily part of life. It’s how we connect with friends and family and its how we see ourselves as global citizens of the world. And, between our smart phones and tablets we can take our networks, friends, and data with us just about anywhere.
So how do we move organizations from being users of technology to actually being “social organizations”? And how do we position organizations so they are able to capture the limited attention spans of a generation always on the go? We’ll be the first to say, there’s no silver bullet. But here are a few concepts that we explore in Cause for Change: The Why and How of Nonprofit Millennial Engagement that we hope will help your organization navigate this ever-changing space.
Make a Good First Impression In the Moment
Technology has allowed Millennials to expect immediate and impulsive interactions with nonprofit organizations. And organizations’ websites remain the primary hub for learning about a nonprofit. In one glance at your website they want to know what your organization is doing, how they can get involved, and how their participation helps the cause. That being said, more than 70% of Millennials are accessing your website through their mobile devices. In the moment they’re ready to donate, sign up for a volunteer opportunity, or take another action. Is your website optimized for an impulsive experience? If not, Millennials are likely to move on quickly and the likelihood of getting them back is quite low.
The channels Millennials use to find information and share their lives are highly personal and the way they are interacting with technology is incredibly purposeful. That’s why organizations must get smarter about humanizing their interaction with constituents across all generations. Being human is hard for some organizations that have grown in a formal model of marketing and public relations wherein the right sound bite ruled. It is ironic that the humanistic side, the pinnacle of the nonprofit work we do to help people, is so hard to convey to our followings in social settings online. Instead, we opt for formal discussions and stock photos in communications and social networks. You must think about your constituents as real people and interact with them based on their heightened expectations, and on the platforms and formats they use to communicate and make relationships with others.
Don’t Dismiss the Slacktivist
There’s a common misconception that the simple actions of liking a post on Facebook or re-tweeting a post to your followers is not meaningful engagement. Studies show that these passive forms of engagement do have significance to fans and followers of your organization. It is the beginning of a relationship that can blossom if the organization is willing to recognize such actions as social good.
The challenge for most organizations is to take the liking and tweeting and develop a conversational engagement path to deepen understanding and participation in the mission. Social media managers will need to develop that path by building ongoing micro-actions within the social conversation to move a Millennial from the inquisitor/listener stage to becoming an activist and ultimately a peer organizer. This is what we call the virtuous cycle of Millennial engagement.
It’s important to remember that simply creating the means to do things better, faster, and cheaper is irrelevant if organizations don’t simultaneously embrace new approaches and thinking about online engagement. When it comes to Millennials, we have a small window of opportunity and this is where technology, if done right, can capture that interest and move it up the ladder of engagement.
Derrick Feldmann and Kari Saratovsky are co-authors of the newly released Cause for Change: The Why and How of Nonprofit Millennial Engagement. Derrick is CEO of Achieve in Indianapolis, IN and Kari is Principal of KDS Strategies in Houston, TX.
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