Tips for Engaging Millennials From A Millennial

Millennials. This word defines a large portion of the population born between the mid-1990's and early 2000's. That is a HUGE generation with multiple characteristics and personalities. 

Targeting one such generation can be difficult but with these simple tips, attracting Millennials to your charity can be easy. I find myself, a Millennial, drawn to companies and organization who follow these tips:

1. Go Mobile

It's 2017. People, especially Millennials live on their phones. Need to know the square root of 144? Google it. Need to know how many tablespoons are in a cup? Look it up. Need to donate to a charity? Easy. In a study conducted across all ages, it was found that those between the ages of 18 and 24 look at their phones most often, with an average of 74 checks per day according to Time. Don't let me tell you, let the researchers and reputable sites tell you how important having a sufficient mobile site can be for your charity or business. 

2. Get On a Name Basis; Personalization

Millennials want to know that brands are paying attention to them. After all, Time Magazine did call Millennials the "Me Me Me" generation. Based upon research, 23% of 18-24-year-olds are more likely to support a charity in the long term if they have a more personalised experience. For example, when sending an email, make sure the information is relevant to the age group. Millennials can be interested in vastly different content than Baby Boomers. Make sure you know your audience for better engagement. 

3. Be Real; Authenticity 

We know when a company is being "fake." When I say "fake," I mean not genuine. Millennials want trust; we want to donate our time, money and efforts into a company we can relate to and know that their intentions are pure. 

So build your campaign or cause around things that are relevant and relatable to Millennials. Kim Roberts, who is on the panel for the ‘Marketing to the millennials’ session at Third Sector’s Annual Fundraising Conference, explains, “This is an incredibly generous audience; many of them will already give freely of their time and they care about the world around them. Learning to understand them, and developing strategies and tactics for communicating with them is central to growing your charity’s impact in this area.”