Sometimes it's hard to stand out among the sea of nonprofits in the online world. There are so many devices (mobile devices, tablets, laptops, etc.) and platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) from which people are consuming their information, that it's very important for you to find your niche. People aren't just finding their favorite organizations from a wide ranges of sources; they're doing it selectively.
The 2013 Millennial Impact Report concluded that:
"Millennials are highly selective about what organizations they follow in a crowded and noisy media landscape... Nearly half of respondents (48.8 percent) follow one to five organizations on social media."
The report's top takeaway is that Millennials are supporting the causes that they are most passionate about, rather than specific institutions. And it's the causes that they're sharing, not the organizations. This means that you need to be strategic and focus on communicating how what kind of an impact your organization is making in issue related programs. For example, if your organization works on climate change you need to tell your target audiences what’s at stake, concrete ways they can take action and create real change, and then share what kind of a collective impact you are making.
Since Millennials' top three motivations for getting involved with an organization is their own passion, to network, and to gain experience and knowledge, you need to be hitting these points.
Passion -
Share personal stories by staff and volunteers on the ground. Don't get so mixed up in vanity metrics and numbers that you forget why your organization really exists. You are as passionate as your constituents, and it's important for them to not only know that, but to see it.
Networking -
Networking is coalition-building and face-to-face engagement. Are you making an effort to host house parties, happy hours? Brown bag lunch series? Or organization meet n greets? It's so vital for your constituents to see a face behind the issues that you're working so hard on.
Expertise -
Take the time to educate your constituents. You are the experts, and they want to have a connection to you. You can do this by sharing information on blogs, twitter, Facebook, as well as host quiz contests to engage your audience.
How are you meeting your audience where they're at? What would you suggest to stand out in the crowd?
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