Category Archives: Volunteers

YOLO? Make it count!

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Back when I was in high school I first heard the slang term “LOL” and at that time I had no idea of the path that confusing slang would pave. Since then I have seen a wide variety of sentence abbreviations that was inspired from a simple “LOL.” However, there is one that has recently stood out more than the others.

YOLO. Let me tell you a little about “YOLO.” This refers to the saying “you only live once.”  I find that my peers, Millennials, tend to use this saying as an excuse or reason to make a risky decision that is often times regretful. To prove my point I’ll just search #YOLO on Twitter and find one of the first tweets that comes up.

“Gonna win the lotto and recklessly spend it ALL at the cosino #YOLO my mums face when I told her LOOOOL She obviously can’t take jokes.”

This is a perfect example of how my fellow Millennials use this phrase. Let me stop you right now before you either roll your eyes or LOL at that tweet because I want to share my thoughts with you regarding this new attitude.

If we only live once, why would we want to do something reckless? Why wouldn’t we want to do something great with our lives? If everyone only lives once then why not help someone’s life who isn’t going well? Let’s make the most of our lives by helping others rather than doing something potentially wreckless.

I am not saying that we should not use this saying. It is just that I have yet to see “YOLO” used in a positive way. According to an article by Matt Miller there were 80 million Millennials born between 1976 and 2001. 80 million Millennials! This means there are tons of us out there and we have the potential to transform used phrase and make it into something good and positive.

But how do you get Millennials started? I would recommend starting where “YOLO” started, the Internet. If you don’t have Twitter or a Facebook page yet get one. Many people feel like they are doing charity or volunteer work just by liking a page or following someone on Twitter. Take advantage of that. Once you have those followers post, post, and post! Tell them about your big event coming up or maybe a story involving a family in need. You need to keep their interest and attention and that means keeping up with the latest social media trends. For example, give them a place to check-in at so they can post pictures and upload it all to their Facebook to share it with their friends. Then their friends will get curious about what it is they are doing and thus the butterfly effect.

Here are some examples of how Millennials are taking action around the world.

http://www.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/stories/spotlight.jsp?id=55

http://www.fastcompany.com/1686624/meet-five-amazing-millennials-who-have-already-changed-world

Take the first step in starting a chain reaction of new volunteers. 21% of Millennials have already started the volunteering movement which means there is still potential for 79%  (VolunteeringsInAmercia.gov) to get involved.  Why not start today…YOLO. 

Big Thanks to the #MCON2012 Blogger and Twitter Team

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It has been a little over a week now since MCON 2012 occurred and the Achieve staff is still recovering from all the planning and organizing that made this event possible. We are all gathering the tiny ounces of energy left in us to give a big round of applause to some special people.

These past two months, 5 individuals came together to form the MCON 2012 Blogger and Twitter team. The team turned their focus on the promotion of this virtual conference through their blog, Twitter and Facebook. Using the social media packet we provided them, they incorporated their personality, enthusiasm and attitude to create unique, promotional strategies.

So, the Achieve staff would like to say, “Thank You,” to the MCON 2012 Blogger and Twitter Team for helping out during this busy Millennial season. You all did a great job and we hope you enjoyed your experience working with us.

Here are some of their final MCON 2012 blogs and posts. Enjoy!


#MCON2012 Scott Gerber The Entrepreneurial Side of Millennials

I’m attending the MCON12 a virtual conference to explore ideas, strategies, and to hear directly from experts on how to organize millennial engagement programs.  It is all being done online through video streaming and chats.  The networking sessions are also virtual, being held as chats (read more).

June 19, 2012 by Beth Kanter, Beth Kanter’s Blog

 

6 Ways To Better Engage With Millennials

Yesterday, I caught part of the virtual conference MCON2012 – which focuses on how to market causes to millennials.  One session focused on the 2012 Millennial Impact Report – a survey of more than 6,500 people ages 20 to 35 – which shows 75% of millennials donate (in small amounts), 70% have raised money for their favorite causes and most give for reasons that span generations—they have a relationship with the cause (read more).

July 20, 2012 by Katya Anderson, Katya’s Non-Profit Marketing Blog

 

Tell your Story: A Lesson From #MCON2012

#MCON2012 did not disappoint at all. It was no surprise that the hashtag ended up trending because every speaker brought something new to the table.  Some things may have been controversial while others were simply BRIGHT IDEAS!While I wish I could choose one speaker that stood out, one slideshow that will bring you success, or one person’s virtual business card to answer all your questions (read more)

July 20, 2012 by Willie Mathis, Millennial Chat

 

My Single Largest #MCON2012 Takeaway 

Last week the folks at Achieve and the Case Foundation put on another stellar virtual conference around engaging millennials in nonprofits, social change and more.  There were the expected buzz words, info-nuggets and sound bytes but also an abundance of new intelligence shed by rising stars in social innovation.  The sessions/speakers were fantastic (read more)

July 23, 2012 by Nathan Hand, Nonprofit Nate

Crowd-sourcing Cause for Change

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Derrick Feldmann, Achieve CEO and Kari Dunn Saratovsky, KDS Strategies have partnered together to write a book and need your help! Read on to see how you could be part of their book Cause for Change: The Why and How of Nonprofit Millennial Engagement.

Ever wanted to be published in a book?

For the past six months we have been on a journey eating, breathing, reading and writing everything, Millennial. You know, that 20-33 year old segment of our population that’s roughly 80 million in size and tends to be the topic d’jour for those in sales, marketing, and just about any industry that’s thinking about the future. The nonprofit sector is no different as CEO’s and executives are coming together to build “Next Gen” strategies within their organizations, and are doing what they can to crack the code of Millennial engagement.

After writing nine solid chapters on the subject we were able to convince our publisher to let us go out on a limb and crowdsource the final chapter of our book, Cause for Change: The Why and How of Nonprofit Millennial Engagement. That’s where you come in. It’s not that we’re tired of writing (well, maybe a little) or out of words (rarely a problem if you know us well) – but really, it’s about capturing the voices that are shaping and influencing the social change space, many of which we have yet to uncover. We think we’ve done a pretty good job weaving together stories with new research, articles and personal experiences that help showcase how Millennials – our peers – are driving much of the change within nonprofit institutions and beyond. However, the story can only be complete if we ensure that others are able to collectively influence it – and that’s where the collaborative nature of Millennials kicks-in.

Whether you are a Millennial yourself or you are managing Millennials, or you’re simply fascinated or dumbfounded by the generation, we’d like to hear from you. How are Millennials influencing structures in your organizations? Has your senior leadership bought-in to the fact that they need to adapt in order to attract the next generation? Are you changing your communications approaches and outreach efforts to appeal to younger constituents? Have you given up on institutions altogether and started your own venture?

We hope you’ll take a few minutes to submit your stories, strategies and sage advice via comments, quotes, blog posts on your own sites (which we’ll link to on our Facebook page) or by sending an email to causeforchangebook@gmail.com.  Let’s get this book finished together!

The 2012 Millennial Donor Survey Needs Your Help!

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For the third year, Achieve and Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates are conducting a nationwide study to assess the current perceptions, attitudes and preferences of Millennial donors age 20-35. The results of this study will be released in July and will help guide nonprofits that target Millennials.

Nationwide we are seeking a wide spectrum of nonprofits, volunteer networks and universities to help Achieve promote the survey to their participants to assure we get a great sampling of Millennials. The more help we get, the better data we will have to share and provide recommendations for you. The survey will run from January 1-January 31, 2012.

Want to help? Here is sample messaging that you can customize for your organization and share with your constituents:

Social Media Messaging: Share on your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts

Email Messaging: Include in your next email newsletter

  • (Insert organization name) wants to learn how Millennials feel about donating and volunteering with nonprofits. We’ve agreed to participate in a nationwide study to assess the current perceptions, attitudes and preferences of Millennials age 20-35.
    The results of this study will be released in July and will help guide nonprofits as they seek to involve Millennials in their causes. Please take a few moments to complete the survey and help us learn how best to engage the Millennial generation. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes of your time.
    https://www.research.net/s/2012MillennialSurvey

Thanks for your help with our survey. We can’t wait to report the results this summer. Make sure to visit millennialdonors.com to signup for updates, read past Millennial Donor reports, and find other useful resources.

Volunteering 5 minutes at a time.

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By Justin Brady, Consulting Associate, Achieve
Micro-volunteering is a new way for organizations to get volunteers to engage virtually through contributing to projects in small increments of time. 85% of Millennials surveyed for the Achieve and JGA Millennial Donor Study said if they didn’t volunteer it was because of lack of time. Millennials are throwing themselves in their careers, starting families, and pursing a variety of interests. It’s not that they don’t have time, its just it comes sporadically. Millennials do want to give their time and they want to utilize their professional skills and interests.
Two entrepreneurs, Jacob Colker and Ben Rigby, saw an opportunity for virtual volunteering to fill this gap and created Sparked.com. From the second you land on Sparked.com you know you are in for a new experience. The site has a sleek, fun design that is easily navigated. To participate individuals have to register, because everything from that point on is customized to personal interests and skills.
Below are some examples of micro volunteering on Sparked.com:
  • Let’s say you are a social media guru and have a passion for environment organizations, you are offered a list of projects to help create social media strategies or messaging in that sector.
  •  Love the arts and graphic design? Design a symphony’s direct mail piece.
  • Have an interest in helping health organizations and know a second language, you might just save an organization hundreds of dollars by doing some quick translation.
The concept is still so new that it’s hard to say how nonprofits will respond. I know ever since learning about it I have been obsessed. What opportunities does your organization have to offer existing projects into small pieces that a volunteer can contribute online?
Interested in learning more about micro and virtual volunteering?  Check out he resources below:
How-to guide on developing virtual volunteering: www.serviceleader.org/virtual
Virtual volunteering via the United Nations: www.onlinevolunteering.org/en/vol/index.html
Watch videos of the Sparked founders share their vision: www.sparked.com/about