We’re getting an inside look at what Achieve’s Millennial Impact Report, supported by the Case Foundation, learned about millennials from its 2017 research in its newest study, An Invigorated Generation for Causes and Social Issues.

The report sheds light on shifts in causes millennials care about, what’s driving their engagement and how they’re engaging on social issues and causes.

The report examines how millennials have responded to divisive national conversations and a changing political atmosphere. We’re highlighting specific takeaways for their cause engagement and what the nonprofit sector should know about this generation.

Highlights include:

• Millennials are most interested in causes and social issues that support quality of life and equity for all, especially marginalized populations.

• They’re more engaged in causes than ever.

• While they share information about causes and social issues they are interested in online they view “current online discourse as uncivil and don’t engage in it.”

Shifts in causes they care about:

• In 2016 millennials said education was their top concern, that shifted to civil rights and racial discrimination in 2017.

• Now, their top five issues of interest include: civil rights and racial discrimination; employment; health care reform; climate change and immigration.

Engagement:

• Millennials are driven to engage locally on issues more than nationally, especially when they feel they’re personally affected by the cause or issue such as education and health care.

• Millennials said they’re more likely to engage on a national level when issues didn’t feel as personal and were broader, the report provides the example of net neutrality as a broader issue.

Taking Action:

• Voting, signing a petition and posting information on social media were the top three ways millennials reported they took action on social issues and causes.

• 57 percent of millennials said they believed more in the power of organizations than their own power to effect change.

• Only 6 percent said making a charitable contribution to an organization around a social issue or cause is a typical behavior for them. Donations that were reported were mostly $25 or less.  

“Right now, millennials believe in organizations and in other ways to effect change. Together, millennials and nonprofits can create solutions,” Derrick Feldmann, founder, Millennial Impact Project and board chair, CMF’s Learning to Give said. “But, if we as nonprofit entities won’t adjust to their needs, millennials – our new and future constituents – will move on without us.”

Utilizing the research and findings the report provides three recommendations about how to best engage with millennials on social issues and causes.

Recommendations include:

• Share stories of individuals whose lives have improved through the efforts of your organization and work.

• Refocus messaging and ensure communications and development work closely as a coordinated team to deepen relationships with millennials.

• Curate your social media, marketing and other messages to millennials to highlight positive, emotion-based language about how the issue affects individuals and facts. Share short term and long-term calls to action and desired outcomes and opportunities to take immediate steps as well as long-term involvement opportunities.

Check out the latest report and the full collection of research from the Millennial Impact Report.