Nonprofits can (and should) reach out to Generation Y if they are to remain viable well into the future. But who is Gen Y? And how can your organization reach them? In this presentation, Sam Davidson will showcase the components of a good Gen Y messaging strategy.

1. The Fountain of Youth Communicating with the Next Generation The Fountain of Youth Communicating with the Next Generation Sam Davidson CoolPeopleCare.org

3. How long were you online last week? Do you blog? How do you share files? Define the word “community”

4. Generation Y Millennials Born after 1980 76 million Collaborators Access Work/Life Balance Engagement

7. - Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks “ We are the third place in the lives of millions of our customers. We are the coffee that brings people together every day around the world to foster conversation and community.”

8. LinkedIn and MeetUp are replacing chambers of commerce

10. Gen Y will experiment with different organizational forms. Gen Y is motivated to enter the social sector in a different way than Baby Boomers. Gen Y is more anxious about life/work conflicts. Source: Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly http://nvs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/32/3/450

12. From Gen Y to GenWhy?

14. Gen Why? It’s about the future of your fundraising. In its first year, Causes raised $2.5 million on Facebook and MySpace. Generation Y currently controls more than $211 billion in spending power.

15. Gen Why? It’s about the future of your clients. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, the growth rate of college student volunteers (approximately 20%) is more than double the growth rate of all adult volunteers (9%). In 2005, approximately 30.2 percent of college students volunteered, exceeding the volunteer rate for the general adult population of 28.8 percent.

16. The future of your organization depends upon it. Gen Why? It’s about the future of your workplace. According to Deloitte and Touche, over 1/3 of our work force will need to be replaced in the next 20 years. According to the Bridgespan Group, nearly 640,000 new senior managers will be needed in the nonprofit sector in the next 10 years.

17. Get digital Get relevant Get simple Get practical Get original

18. Who is currently coming to your Web site? Who would you like to come to your Web site? Do the lists match? Should they?

19. Strangers Friends Donors Loyal donors Advocates

20. Turn strangers into friends

21. Turn friends into donors

22. Turn donors into advocates

23. What could someone do for you in: 5 minutes? 10 minutes? 30 minutes? 1 hour? 2 hours? 4 hours? A day? A weekend?

24. What could someone do for you with: $1? $5? $10? $20? $50? $100? $1000?

25. Technology and the Internet are a strategy , not a solution

26. Use processes that are both digital and ‘analog’

27. Embrace , don’t fear, the ever-changing world of technology

28. Work with strategic partners to ease the learning curve

29. From GenWhy to Gen Why Not?

30. Companies Started During a Downturn “… a weak economy is not the time to cut back on communicating with your existing and potential customers.” – Dr. Jeff Cornwall, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, Belmont University

31. Start the conversation Make the commitment Find the champion