Do you struggle to get younger adults involved in your nonprofit organization?  Millennials (the generation born between 1980 and 2000) will keep your organization young, if you treat them right. Here’s what you should know.

• According to Jason Dorsey, The Gen Y Guy, “Millennials think phone calls are an invasion of privacy.” If all you need is to ask a question or share a bit of information, text them.

• A lot of millennials are strapped for cash. They graduated college and got hit by the Great Recession. They are just now forming the habit of giving. So, don’t turn your nose up at that $5 online donation: it may be the start of a lifetime of charity. It’s up to you.

• Millennials will work hard for something they believe in. They are committed to causes, not organizations. Show them the tangible value of their work AND the value you place on it, them. Give them a voice, not just a task.

• Millennials really aren’t that different. All of us in the generations born since WW II have been increasingly comfortable with technology and increasingly skeptical about organizations. Prove yourself to a millennial and you’ll probably make a case to a Boomer like me, too!

What’s the best thing YOUR organization has done to attract younger volunteers, Board members, or donors? Let me know and I will brag about you in an upcoming message!