Millennials want to see impact

Next week, I’ll be speaking at MCON 2013 — an event aimed at inspiring conversations about engaging the millennial generation for good.

As part of my talk on the science of behavior and millennial philanthropic giving, I plan to emphasize the fact that millennials — more so than other generations — want to see the direct impact of their donations. In an upcoming Blackbaud study, 60% of millennials say that “ability to directly see the impact of your donation” would have a significant bearing on their decision to give. While only a third of Seniors and 37% of Boomers say the same.

We are in the middle of a transformational shift from the “unrestricted-charity-knows-best-where-to-spend-my-dollars” mindset to one in which we need to show direct, tangible impact to compete for dollars.

Savvy non profits are starting to think about ways that they can viscerally and specifically show impacts of donations (See charity: water’s “proving it” section on their site). But our sector needs to do more in order to prepare ourselves for millennial prime giving years ahead. What can you do to start showing your impact more clearly?

Want to know more about millennials and giving?  You can register for the online MCON experience here and attend virtually.