Tuesday, May 27, at 12 noon, U.S. Eastern time

Members of this generation are interested in social change and participating in charitable causes. Yet many traditional charities have a hard time making connections with millennials, who are much more comfortable with technology than their predecessors and have different ideas about how to communicate. How can your organization communicate more effectively with members of this generation? Join Allison H. Fine, an author and nonprofit leader, for a discussion that will tackle this important question.

Related Articles

• Social Change and the Connected Age(11/9/2006)
• Read the Case Foundation's Social Citizens report(May 2008)

The Guest

Allison H. Fine is a senior fellow at Demos: A Network for Ideas and Action, in New York, and a writer. Ms. Fine is the author of a recent report on millennials for the Case Foundation, in Washington, and is an expert on social change and civic engagement.

A transcript of the chat follows.

Cassie Moore (Moderator):
    Welcome to today's live discussion with Allison H. Fine, senior fellow at Demos: A Network for Ideas and Action, in New York, and a writer. She'll be answering your questions on engaging and communicating with the millennial generation. To ask a question or submit a comment, click on the "Ask a Question" link on this page. We'll be posting Ms. Fine's responses for the next 60 minutes.

Allison H. Fine:
    Hi, Cassie, I'm delighted to join you this afternoon to talk about Social Citizens. And I promised on the Case Foundation blog (http://blog.socialcitizens.org/) a prize for the most unique question. I am, of course, the judge and jury deciding that!

Question from The Tommy Foundation, small autism non-profit:
    My wife and I started an autism nonprofit group in Lancaster, Pa., a few years ago. We provide volunteer services for families in the area by recruiting college students, so we work with this generation A LOT. My questions is since my tech staff is so small (my wife and I, who both work full time also), what technolgies work the best together so as to reach the most amount of people with the least amount of typing since it is so difficult to maintain Facebook, MySpace, blogs, e-mail campaigns, videos, and DVD's at the same time? Thank you.

Allison H. Fine:
    Hi, there, you have a great opportunity to recruit college students to help you reach to out to the new social networking sites and other online social media. Too often, nonprofit organizations have become accustomed to doing all the heavy lifting themselves, rather than recruiting other people to do pieces that fit their skills and interests. But, that means letting go, which, like listening, isn't taught in graduate schools today!

Question from Patti Tolo, Interlochen Center for the Arts:
    I work at Interlochen Center for the Arts, a private boarding school for high school students in the arts. As the Director of Annual Giving I am responsible for raising funds that provide scholarships for our students. Historically, alumni were not contacted by the development office until they surpassed college age ñ at 26 years old. The rationale was that this segment was too young to have the financial means to make a gift. I have been exploring the concept of contacting our millennials on a regular basis as we build a culture of philanthropy; to plant the seed of giving back to Interlochen whether it is through social engagement, building civic capacity in the arts, and when ready, giving back financially. As I view some of the characteristics of millennials, they are cooperative team players, follow rules, accept authority, are confident, have a high level of trust, feel the pressure and have the desire to excel, study hard, are civically minded, and have a desire for life-long learning and to build institutions that work. All of us in the nonprofit arena are exploring effective ways on how to communicate with this generation. I see them connecting with their world via the Internet, e-mail, text messaging, instant messaging, cell phones, Facebook, MySpace. What would you recommend when crafting an engaging message that will resonate with this segment along with the vehicles which are and will be most effective?

Allison H. Fine:
    Hi, Patti, this is a terrific question, thanks for asking! I don't think the vehicle is as important as asking your constituency, here your alumni, what they're interested in and how they want to engage in the school as alumni. You could even start with a small meeting, maybe 5 to 10 of them to talk about their interests, concerns, beefs, etc. and then take their lead on how they want to continue the conversation online, by listserve, Facebook, etc. Listen first, talk later.

Question from Ken D. Grunke:
    Hi Allison - Do you find that the Millennial Generation is attached to one particular form of communication/technology versus others (a.k.a. social networking, text messaging, podcasting, etc.)? Thanks!

Allison H. Fine:
    Hi, Ken, one of the most delightful things about watching and working with Millennials is their fluidity with all kinds of social media. The hottest tool for connecting a few months ago was Facebook, now it's Twitter, an online text messaging service that allows a person to let the world know what they're doing at any moment in time (a terrific tool for organizing and mobilizing large groups, like for marches and protests). It's very easy to want to find just the right tool to use to connect to Millennials -- but I caution folks against spending too much time on that. Focus more on connecting in authentic and real ways with them, then they'll find you.

Question from Sara Koppelman, Sports 4 All Foundation:
    What are the top three ways you think nonprofit groups can communicate with millenials?

Allison H. Fine:
    Hmmm, just three, OK, lemme try:

1. Go where they are. I would not advise a group to start their own social networking site (unless there are security issues they are concerned about) but go where people are already gathered.

2. Listen. I will start to sound like a broken, well CD, I guess, but try to break the organizational habit of assuming that you know where people are and what they want. Ask them -- and then listen to their response!

3. Stay Flexible. As I mentioned above, the tools are changing at lightning speed. Don't invest too much in any one platform or tool, stay light and flexible.

Question from Laura, mid-sized museum:
    Are Millennials less likely to make in-person visits on site to an institution such as a museum? Are more of their connections going to be made and continued online?

Allison H. Fine:
    Great question, Laura, thanks. I sometimes hear people who are anxious about the connected age assume that it is a zero sum game. It isn't, we will always have a need to connect with one another in person, and that includes Millennials, too! Newspapers, museums, sporting events, bars, venues that bring us together and help us to understand ourselves and the world better are important -- but they have to be accessible and open to the Millennial way of thinking. It will be important for museums to be very accessible curatorially for Millennials, to not assume that they know anything about the subject matter, be very visually appealing, more video and pictures, less text, if possible. Most importantly, it's critical that museums engage Millenials in discussions of potential exhibits to get their input.

Question from Arthur Vandelay:
    Do you find that millennials with low incomes are getting involved with social causes?

Allison H. Fine:
    One of the most exciting aspects of the Connected Age for Millennials is the inexpensive tools that are available to enable them to connect for causes. And they are across geography, income, race, etc. The future is in the palm of their hands, literally, with their cell phones that now allow e-mail, text and web access. The key for our civic future is the continuing reduction in the cost of cell phone usage. A wonderful group working in this area is MobileActive.org.

Question from Matt W, Student:
    Hi Allison, First off, congratulations on the "social citizens" report. Second, I want to know what you think the response to the paper has been up to this point?

Allison H. Fine:
    Thanks, Matt! I've gotten two kinds of responses:

1. Nonprofit and Foundation execs say, "Phew! I'm so glad you put all the pieces together for me about who these young people are and how they are engaged in social change efforts.

2. Millennials who are appreciative of the attention and props.

One thing I wanted to try to avoid in the paper was setting up a dichotomy that because Millenials work differently than their parents and grandparents, and see the world differently, that it had to be either a "good" or "bad" thing. It just is, and rather than fight it or criticize it, I enjoyed embracing it and seeing what the possibilities could be!

Question from Miriam:
    In your experience, what have you found to be the reasons for institutional inertia at many nonprofits to adapting communication technologies that can help them not only communicate with millennials, but engage tech-savvy boomers and even seniors?

Allison H. Fine:
    I think of it as terror that leads to inertia. One of the issues I am most concerned about in the nonprofit sector is the overinstitutionalization of causes. By this, I mean the tendency to create a c3 organization, fundraising, and add staff who too often manage things top-down. One of the bad byproducts of this trend is the natural tendency of organizations to become overly cautious. Once the word "brand" enters their lexicon, all is lost! I have talked to many, many organizations who spend an enormous amount of time worrying about what could go wrong if they have a blog with comments or a page on Facebook or let their strategic plan out. Ask Hillary Clinton how that old top-down strategy worked for her!

Question from Mike Brooks, United Way of America:
    Thanks for being here and sharing your thoughts. What is your perspective on the "Gen Y" or "Millenial" labeling of this generation? It seems Millenial is more favored by experts and market research, but Gen Y is better known. Some even see a split into two distinct cohorts. What's your point of view?

Allison H. Fine:
    LOL, Mike, we really struggled with this! One reason is that the definition of who is Gen Y or a Millennial differs all over the place. The Case Foundation preferred the Millennial label, I think, because it has a distinctive ring to it, and because their generation is so large and distinct, they really deserve their own name, not a continuation of the last generation. As a member of the oft-overlooked Gen X group, I wish we had their fresh approach and distinctiveness!

Question from Shannon Coursey:
    I am a "millennial." A group of co-workers and I are currently trying to form a small group at work. So far we have had a good turnout with a lunch group that meets one day each week. Our next step is to focus on a charitable cause we can participate with. Some questions I have are:

- How can millenials identify charitable organizations that are the most effective and make the most practical, business-focused sense, to engage with?

- Once engagement has begun with a charitable organization, what are some best practices that can either help make the relationship successful for both parties and also continue long-term?

- How many charitable organizations do you recommend an organization interact with? Are there ever too many to get involved with?

Thank you.

Allison H. Fine:
    Hi, Shannon, what an exciting opportunity for you and your colleagues! First, I think it's important that you follow your heart. What interests you all the most, what concerns you, what tugs at your heartstrings? Do you want to focus on an effort locally, regionally, nationally, internationally (remember at each level your personal impact diminishes.) Guidestar and Charity Navigator are just two of the watchdog groups that will have data about causes. But, Shannon, once your group zeroes in on one or a few causes (and I would keep it smaller to start) you should call them and have them in for a presentation -- or go and visit them. It's important that you connect with a group that wants to connect with you.

Question from Brad Lewis, Program Officer, Corporation for National and Community Service:
    The program I work for, Learn and Serve America, is becoming more tech savvy (we're making investments in the Social Media space through community-based and higher education grantees), but that is a limited audience.

What advice might you offer for going "broad band" nationwide and involving more millennials directly in service-learning (community service tied to curriculum)?

Thanks,

Brad

Allison H. Fine:
    Hi, Brad, just to be a bit provocative, I would question whether service needs to get deeper rather than broader. The data I saw from the Corporation had upwards of 85% maybe even 90% (you can correct me on this) of middle and high schools with service efforts. It really is hard to find a young person who isn't exposed, or as I saw in the report "marinating" in causes. And you know from the longitudinal study that the Corporation did that young people are continuing to serve beyond college years. However, the questions I have that I think do need to be addressed are: How deep is their understanding about the causes of social inequities, how much do they know about public policy (very little from the research I saw) and how can they integrate causes into their work life in sustainable ways?

Question from David B. Smith, NCoC:
    Allison,

I really enjoyed your Social Citizens BETA. You mention a number of ways young people are engaging in social causes to include online and mobile technologies.

There is concern that due to the digital divide, online engagement will continue to expand the gap between the levels of engagement of those with access to these technologies.

Have you seen any evidence to support that the digital divide is decreasing and/or the levels of engagement transcend the assumed structure of higher education/income levels mean higher levels of engagement (especially through emerging technology)?

Allison H. Fine:
    Hi, David, the digital divide is collapsing at astonishingly fast rates. It is in large part due to the fact that technology has gotten so much less expensive and mobile in the past 3-5 years. It is hard to find a young person anywhere who isn't connected either through their cell phone or by using a computer in their school or local library (I know, not ideal, but it's still a connection.) We are in a transitional period, and for a time there will be a number of people, low income young people, and stubborn older people, who are not as connected as the majority of folks -- but the future direction of a completely connected citizenry is clear.

The one group of young people that does not receive enough support for engaging civically are those who don't attend college. Generation Engage is a terrific new group that focuses specifically on this cohort.

Question from Amy Sample Ward:
    Hi Allison - How do you view the relationship between Millenials and older generations IN social media? Positive, negative, linear, hierarchical, leaders/followers, individuals, mentors/teachers, etc. And, do you think this relationship affects the conversations that nonprofits are trying to listen to, interact with, and learn from? Thanks!

Allison H. Fine:
    Hi, Amy, thanks for your question and the interesting thoughts on your blog last week. We provide astonishingly few opportunities for Millennials and older generations to use social media together. We've almost made it taboo, haven't we? I would love to see younger people mentor older people on social media, what a great use of talents and skills! I think it would be a great way to unlock causes and organizations (again, back to provocative!) One of the most interesting aspects of Causes on Facebook is that there are so many causes for each issue. Take Darfur, for example. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Causes on Facebook dedicated to this issue. Before, in the proprietary age, people interested in this issue would have been largely locked into one or two organizations they knew about.

This is a long way to say that I think your interest in this area is right on the money and I would love to see more mentoring and more conversations between young and old people online or on Causes.org or even on Twitter (!) about issues that concern us all.

Question from Sandy, environmental n-p:
    What do you mean by "buycott" in your paper (as opposed to boycott)? I find this table helpful and on target to describe generational differences.

Allison H. Fine:
    Hi, Sandy, "buycott" is just the opposite of boycott - meaning a group or causes encourages people to buy a particular product to support it. For instance, a person (we won't mention who!) might buy and eat an enormous amount of Ben & Jerry's ice cream because she (let's say) likes the causes they support. My colleagues at the Case Foundation came up with the table, I thought it was helpful, too!

Question from Cinnamon Daniel, BTW informing change:
    I work for a consulting company that works with nonprofits and foundations to design and implement evaluations. Do you know which evaluation methods and techniques have been especially effective with millenials?

Allison H. Fine:
    Hi, Cinnamon, I'm familiar with the great work you do at BTW! Millennials hate forms. I guess we all do, but they have a particular disdain for them having grown up in such an automated world. So, any opportuity for qualitative research is important to grab, focus groups are great, interviews, chats online, anyway that they can feel listened to and appreciated will generate better data.

Allison H. Fine:
    Phew, that was a lot of territory to cover in an hour! Thanks to all of the questioners, I really enjoyed spending time with you. I'd like to offer a signed copy of Momentum to Shannon to help her group get started! Shannon, drop me an e-mail at afine@demos.org and we can connect. Thanks!

THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED OFF-LINE

Question from Tera Wozniak, Johnson Center on Philanthropy:
    In my blog socialcitizen.wordpress.com I write a lot about generational differences and how as a Millennial I am working on social entrepreneurship in the nonprofit sector. What can I share with my Millennial readers about connecting with other generations in the workplace? Sometimes I feel like older employees of organizations are almost scared to talk to Millennials or have so much distrust for us, they just ignore us. How, as a Millennial, can I break through that barrier? How can I prove I can do the job?

Allison H. Fine:
    Hi, Tera, Ive heard this complaint before, and frankly some of it is Millennial related and some of it is just a reflection of being a younger member of a staff. One thing that you can do to break down the distrust is perhaps run a seminar or two for the older staff members on social media tools; what they are and how they can be used in philanthropy and social change efforts. This would bring out your natural strengths, be informative for folks, and provide a common language for you all.

Question from Chris Smith, American Green Cross.net:
    What is your opinion of the value of YouTube, MySpace and Facebook for attracting Millennials to nonprofit causes ?

Allison H. Fine:
    There is huge value in both social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, and using video to share stories about causes. Of course, these arent the only sites where these activities are happening, but they are the most trafficked now. But, as Ive said before, the venue is less important than the content of the conversation. What is it you want to talk about, with whom, and then where and how can we best have that conversation? The old axiom, Form follows function, still holds true!

Question from Valerie Threfall, nonprofit:
    Hi Allison: We are developing a large-scale survey of low-income high school students regarding their experiences and perspectives on how to improve their schools. We want to make the survey engaging and interactive and reach youth in ways they are already comfortable interacting. Any thoughts on how to best use technology to engage this diverse group? (recognizing they may have limited technology access in schools in many cases) Appreciate your perspectives!

Allison H. Fine:
    This is a tough one, Valerie, as Ive already mention the disdain that Millennials have for forms and surveys (being overfed on both since birth!) Obviously the survey has to be up online using a tool like Survey Monkey. Then, I would announce it in lots of different places, by email, on Facebook and MySpace, on any other sites where these teens are gathering and interacting (e.g. entertainment sites). The goal is to provide as many different, easy access points as possible. Good luck, let me know how it goes!