Presentation for Valley Gives 2017. By Meghan Lynch and Carolina Ossa, Six Point Creative

1. Millennials and
Giving
Six-Point Creative Works

2. Overview
Recommendations
Findings
Objectives &
Methodology

3. Methodology
Millennials
Born 1980-2000

4. Methodology
National Data
Millennial Research Project, including “Giving
Tuesday 2015: Attracting Millennial Donors” (4th
year of Giving Tuesday)
Other national research

5. Methodology
Local Data
10 interviews with millennials from Hampden,
Hampshire, and Franklin counties with
follow-up survey
Survey through CFWM and community partners
Census information

6. FINDINGS

7. “My grandmother died… a lot
of family members have died
of cancer so I give to the
LIVESTRONG Foundation for
Cancer Research and Cancer
Connection.”
- Jon
Passion and personal experience
“Dakin is where I adopted my cats
from, so I feel very strongly about
Dakin, and so I donate to them when
I can. I had a good friend who
worked for Community Resources
for People with Autism, and she did
a really great job rounding us up
for a fundraiser here and there…
The stuff I care about informs
where I want to put my money and
time.”
-Madison

8. “I can be very skeptical of the system.
When there’s a certain number of people
filling administrative roles in an
organization, I can be pretty skeptical of
how efficient that organization is.”
- Sara
Demand for transparency and effective stewardship
“I don’t give to Goodwill because I’ve
heard that they’re not very good with
their money.”
- Maggie
“It’s helpful to me when it’s like, ‘If you
donate X amount of money, you give X
amount of’... phrasing.”
- Madison
“I tend to be like, “Where is my money
going? What is the organization doing to
support themselves? Are they going
about looking for grants, are they listed
in federal funding?” I like to know that
information before just giving.”
- Jolanda

9. “brands reaching out to this
demographic, make sure you are
authentic, emotional, and
cause-oriented.”
- Creating Brands That Engage Millennials
Forbes
Transparency and Trustworthiness
“To define a voice as trustworthy millennials demand
transparency and authenticity. Brands who are unafraid to
project a unique tone of voice and stand for something are
immediately trustworthier.”
- Talking to Millennials
Sense Worldwide

10. “I give to national causes because giving
$100, while not a hardship, is a
significant amount of money...but if I can
give $12 monthly over the course of a
year, it’s more manageable for me. ”
- Karina
Giving is not a given
“I don’t donate to any causes. I have
never really had a steady income until
recently, and I feel like that’s been the
reason why, if I’m ever given the
opportunity, I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t have
extra money.’”
-Katie
“Disposable income to make donations
isn’t huge.”
-Callie
“None of my friends, including myself,
are actively doing anything about it. We
just kind of talk about it and our concern,
but that’s as far as it goes.”
- Julie

11. “I care about food contamination. I mean
I was vegetarian for seven years
because I was concerned about
purchasing conventionally grown meat.
The people that I know are part of [the
causes I donate to], knowing that they
are good, honest people doing part of
their work, their mission...you don’t really
know about the organization or what
people are going through until you are
part of it.”
-Maggie
It’s all personal
“And then it happened to somebody
close to me. So I think that’s when it
became like, “Okay, this is something
that needs to be addressed. IT needs to
be fixed, and we need to come alongside
our friends, and make sure they’re being
safe and getting the help they need..”
- Madison
“My friend Pat encouraged everyone. He
challenged 61 people who he tagged to
make a donation. ”
- Callie
“I’ve always strongly identified with
feminism...women’s rights are pretty
central to my own. And I’ve been deeply
immersed in the queer community. ”
- Katrina

12. “I saw firsthand the impact I
had on a child’s life, and that
was really, really important to
me... and we still keep in touch
to this day.
I give time and money to those
organizations, trying to better
their missions ‘cause they’re
doing a great job.”
-John
Prior Engagement
“To truly involve this generation,
it is vital that organizations engage
with their Millennial audience
members other than just asking for
donations.”
Source: “#GivingTuesday2015 Report” - The Millennial Impact Project

14. “Facebook is where I find out
about events. Most of the events I
go to are because friends invited
me via Facebook events.”
Source: Millennial Impact Report 2016 Wave 2
(Echoed by 7/10 interviewees)
“What are people up to? What’s going on
in my area?”
-Madison
“...to keep track of events.”
-Karina

15. - Median Household income
$40k
- Likely recently changed
jobs or apartments
- Renters
- Online financial
transactions
- Debt but rich social lives
- Consume a lot of media.
HIPSTER
LTD
Persona Boards

16. - Median Household income
$80k
- Homeowners
- Financially and physically
healthy
- Kids and management
careers
Persona Boards
ADULTING
FTW

17. RECOMMENDATIONS
Where to go from here?

18. 1. Don’t Neglect
Core Supporters
Most likely to give, and will give in larger amounts
Can’t assume familiarity or recall
Change of platforms and donor/nonprofit
fatigue continues to put this group at risk

19. 2. Engage millennials
early and consistently

20. Engage millennials inside and outside of facebook well before
Valley Gives Day
Create consistent content that reminds them of what your
organization is doing and keeps you on their radar in tone
and language that is authentic (not corporate)
Examples: feature a star employee or volunteer, create
and feature shareable cause-focused content (10 things
you can do from your desk for education) etc.
Tell them/ show them where their money is going
Prompt them to share with their friends and family members
Online and Offline

21. Veer towards showcasing the work of your organization as it
ties to a specific interest or cause
Offer relatable content in an authentic tone of voice
Encourage millennial employees and supporters personally
share content
“Authenticity and boldness are more likely to resonate with this
population for cause-related messaging.”
Keep in mind!

22. #BRANDSSAYINGBAE
Be authentic…

23. Be authentic…

25. QUESTIONS
/DISCUSSION

26. Thanks!