To inspire everyone to get out and give back to our communities this summer, we're excited to be hosting the Summer of Service on our blog! Each Monday in June and July, we're featuring a fantastic guest blogger sharing his or her unique and personal perspective on service, volunteering and citizen philanthropy. Today, please welcome our second guest, Kari Saratovsky, Vice President of Social Innovation at the Case Foundation and publisher of the foundation’s Social Citizens Blog. Thanks, Kari!
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The Art of Demystifying the Millennial Volunteer
by Kari Saratovsky
As the graduating Class of 2010 trade in their caps and gowns for a heaping dose of reality -- their idealism is impressive, but so are the challenges they are up against. Sure, the Millennial Generation enters the workforce as the most widely educated and technologically adept generation in history but it will take far more than good intentions to resolve the global realities of climate change, energy shortages, and extreme poverty that face us all.
Even so, there’s something about the Millennial Generation’s resiliency that is fascinating to watch. Many are looking at their next chapter as a time for self exploration. They’re trying to find meaning in their jobs and are delaying the traditional workforce and enrolling in programs like AmeriCorps in record numbers - or heading overseas to focus on Global Health equity in developing countries. They’re leveraging technology to innovate and create new solutions to complex environmental and social problems. Millennials are seen as ambitious and hopeful. But they are also debt ridden and anxious. Whether the world will live up to their great expectations is an open and yet to be answered question.
Having already seen and experienced so much, Millennials have established themselves as a new breed of activists and doers – but for the average nonprofit, understanding how to engage them in your volunteer work can be seen as a mystery. I’ve written the following as an attempt to demystify the Millennial volunteer, and firmly believe that the problems our local and global communities are faced with call for exactly the values that Millenials believe in – collaboration, teamwork, openness and transparency.
What does your nonprofit need to know about engaging the next generation of volunteers?
Provide experiences based on skills: The Millennial Generation in particular recognizes that it’s not just one sector that will help solve our most challenging social problems, but rather a blending of sectors and structures that will create meaningful impact. As such, they are looking for ways to put their professional skills to use when they volunteer. It’s not enough to ask them to sort cans or paint murals – they have skills in technology, business development, communications and other key areas that nonprofits are in desperate need of. So, make sure to take the time to get to know your volunteers and what skills they bring to the table.
Show the impact of your/their work: Having grown up in a 24-7 news cycle with instant messaging, and the immediacy of platforms like Twitter and Facebook, it’s no secret that MIllennials expect to see immediate results. The same holds true for their volunteer work as they desire to see the immediate impact of their work. Even if the progress is only incremental, make sure that you are sharing it with your volunteers. If they can see the value they are adding, you’ll keep them coming back for more.
Always have a clear call to action: Today’s volunteers may be savvier when it comes to finding volunteer opportunities on their computer or iPhone, but they expect an experience that matches the ease to which they found it. While today’s unprecedented technology allows organizations to reach out to new audiences, the call to action must be clear, it must be actionable, and it must show impact.
Openness and transparency are key: Go beyond providing good volunteer opportunities to creating more of a relational experience between volunteer and organization. Solicit feedback, provide follow up, and ask what you could do better. Sites like Great Nonprofits allow folks to rate their experiences and share knowledge so that others can make more informed decisions about where to give or volunteer – so take the first step and be an active participant in those conversations.
It’s easy to make generational generalities when it comes to Millennial engagement – yet perhaps more than any other generation, Millennials emphasize doing good into everything they do. They are comfortable with collective action and especially with activating their own social networks and they are volunteering at higher numbers than generations before them. This presents a great opportunity for nonprofits, but only if they are willing to tweak their approach.
If your organization is engaging with Millennials we want to hear from you - what’s the secret sauce to getting it right?
As Vice President of Social Innovation at the Case Foundation, Kari Saratovsky is an evangelist for all things social media for social good. With experience in the government and nonprofit sectors, her favorite role is that of a connector -- connecting passionate people, good ideas, and new approaches in an effort to address social problems. Kari serves as the publisher of the foundation’s Social Citizens Blog which calls attention to the way in which Social Citizens (and Millennials in particular) are using new technologies for social good and their potential for impacting broader participation in civic life across all generations. You can also follow her on twitter (@socialcitizen).
