Here's how you can engage younger donors and millennials by adapting your communication strategies.

Engager les milléniales et les jeunes donateurs demande d'adapter votre stratégie de communication à ces cibles. Je sais ce n'est peut-être pas glamour de parler de cible lorsque l'on parle de donation. Allez sur les supports de communication qu'ils privilégient. Certes on pense naturellement aux réseaux sociaux, mais il y a aussi le Marketing d'influence et l'UGC. Attention, je ne dis pas qu'il faut abandonner les réseaux sociaux. Au contraire, il faut juste choisir ceux qu'ils affectionnent et qui font sens par rapport à votre mission. Par exemple, Pinterest peut être un bon support pour parler de l'engagement écoresponsable. TikTok pour les associations humanitaire. Sans oublier bien évidemment Instagram les incontournables.

From my experience, a critical part of tailoring is centering the millennial/younger donor in the message itself. Leverage the voices and stories of your younger supporters to inspire other young supporters - let their authentic stories and connections lead the way!

First off, it's all about speaking their language. Tailor your messaging to resonate with younger donors and millennials. Use language and tone that feels authentic and relatable to them. Show them how their support can make a tangible difference and appeal to their values and interests.

Make your messages messier. Everyone is tired of hyper designed, disembodied, institutional tone. Stop talking out of the organizational tower at your donors and start speaking to them like you're across the table in their kitchen. In the age of AI's ultra sanitized and noticeably inhuman voice, the smartest thing you can do is tap into the salvage edge aspects of connection that indicate you're a human. No one is saying abandon pro speak altogether. But do you have the flexibility in your writing/speaking to enter and exit that voice at will?

Hey everyone! Struggling to connect with younger donors? Let's ditch the generic pleas and speak their language. Millennials care about making a real difference, so show them how their contribution can directly create positive change. Think impactful stories, not boring statistics. Share real people your organization has helped – that personal touch builds a connection and makes them feel like their support truly matters. Remember, they want to be part of something bigger, so let them know they are!

Next, let's talk tech. Millennials are digital natives, so leverage technology to connect with them where they already are. Use social media platforms, email campaigns, and crowdfunding platforms to spread your message and engage with younger audiences. Embrace multimedia content like videos, GIFs, and interactive experiences to grab their attention and keep them engaged.

The best use cases here are young donors themselves - I've found it useful to hold focus groups and keep younger donors close as advisors and collaborators... And hand them the keys to your social channels! Leveraging your young supporters as influencers, voices, and story-tellers across your digital channels is a powerful way to expand your network of new friends and fans.

Consider incorporating gamification elements into your donation process. This could involve progress bars, point systems, or even leaderboards for fundraising teams. You can also leverage social media platforms that allow for peer-to-peer fundraising, where millennials can create their own fundraising pages and share them with their networks. By incorporating a social aspect and a bit of friendly competition, you can incentivize millennials to donate and become more active participants in your fundraising efforts.

I want to pose a different approach to leveraging tech: Sign up for and use the platforms that your audience is on, even if they aren't "fundraising ready." Tiktok is my biggest example of that--It's a quick easy way to uptake current language and understand what's important to younger people. If you don't know what "gyat" is or laugh when someone says "I remember when ninja got a low taper fade," then your nonprofit isn't going to make it much too much longer past the great wealth transfer. Additionally, I watched two trans women raise 4M dollars on that platform in 8 days. That's 4M in a recession when insane levels of legislation are coming down against them. Yet, they're successful because they're tapped in. Are you?

It's a visual moment, and high quality, compelling, and visually appealing reels, stories, photos, videos, and other creative content is what wins. And don't be afraid to experiment and take risks! You'll only learn what works by taking risks, by piloting new channels and new types of content, and by following the data to support continuous improvement.

Last but not least, don't underestimate the power of visual appeal. Millennials are drawn to visually appealing content, so invest in high-quality images, graphics, and design elements to make your communications pop. Use bold colors, striking visuals, and eye-catching layouts to capture their interest and make a memorable impression.

Same as the annoyance with slick institutional tone, the youth are also trending away from slick institutional design. Sometimes higher quality signals commercial, transaction, inauthenticity. They want their images to have texture and flaws--Think early American Apparel polaroid, Tumblr in the early 2000's, or even the particular grain of 90's instant camera film. They also want to be able to perceive the depth of melanin on camera, so make sure you're hiring photographers who can deliver the flavor in a variety of ways.

Transparently, transparency is vital among all stakeholders, and younger donors especially prize it. So surprise them with your candor and frankness - be real about positive impacts and stories, and don't shy away from the failures and challenges. Young donors know a sales job when they see it... stay authentic, stay honest, and enroll them as problem solvers.

Conversations and authentic exchanges are so important for younger supporters. The more you can enroll them as true co-conspirators and problem solvers, the better. Here's something I've found to be especially valuable: quarterly idea hunting or solutions salons events, where you invite a small group of newer folks in to engage in real-talk sessions where their hearts and minds and networks can be engaged to help improve the impact of your work.

Engaging younger donors as a problem solvers, and giving tem a sense of fulfillment is prescription for taking them on a journey. Young donors are implusive and have lots of questions. Be patient, and engage in dialogue. They would not prefer to receive a statement of authority or reaserch. Give them their space. Allow them their experince. Answer their queries. Invite their suggestion, and you may be surprised at their out of the box solutions.

In my experience, millennials want to be part of solving problems and want to be involved vs. just writing a check. They also tend to be more wary of institutions, so the more closely they can interact with a nonprofit org, the more trust they'll build.

Harness the power of storytelling and interactive media to craft your message. Create immersive experiences that resonate with younger donors, tapping into their desire for authenticity and connection. Utilize platforms like social media, podcasts, and virtual events to spark meaningful conversations and cultivate a community around your cause.