Richard Burns, president and CEO of the NHP Foundation – a national nonprofit that works in affordable and sustainable housing – is defying the odds in attracting and retaining an engaged millennial workforce. In a new article, Burns says NHP not only achieved nearly 100 percent retention among their next generation leaders, but also helped to grow their love of philanthropy. At the same time, NHP uncovered new ways to support their “seasoned” senior employees.

“First, we took a long, hard look at our organization and developed a blueprint for making our environment amenable to both sets of employees. We worked to create a more inclusive workplace and to encourage cross-generation teams and mentoring,” Burns explains.

Their team then identified seven strategies to guide the Gen Y staffers into a long-term career:

• Make your workplace as transparent as possible. “This translates to communicating to young staffers about how our organization works, in terms of: Who are the target donors? How does the organization raise money? and, How is the money spent?, as well as what is expected of them, what salaries look like across the organization and what is an honest appraisal of their promotional opportunities and time tables.” 

• Provide hands-on opportunities. “It’s satisfying to be part of a successful team effort in your office, but nothing builds camaraderie and loyalty like being part of a project onsite.” Employees at NHP had the opportunity to help install solar panels on an affordable housing property.

• Recognize that you can never have too much data. “Millennials love research and stats... It behooves organizations to use their research and analysis to help educate and inspire their young workforce members.”

• Give as much personal, individualized attention as possible. “Create more opportunities for company contributions from all levels of the organization.”

• Demonstrate tech savviness. “Millennials need to feel they have access to the latest and greatest tech available... It’s also important to encourage positive social media sharing.”

• Encourage appreciation of “old-school” tactics. “While your staff is making the most of MailChimp marketing and donor texting options, never let them lose sight of the benefits of a well-handled phone call or a thank you note.”

• Get out of your comfort zone.

Burns’ recognition of the need to find new ways to retain young workers is spot on, according to the Deloitte Millennial Survey 2018 report. In response to a question asking how long they would stay with their current employer before leaving to join a new organization or “do something different,” 43 percent of the 10,000+ millennial respondents say they would leave within two years. Among the 1,800+ respondents from Gen Z, that number climbs to 61 percent.

A piece of promising data for the philanthropic sector from the research findings: "Millennials and Gen Z yearn for leaders whose decisions might benefit the world – and their careers."

So how do we begin to grow an understanding of philanthropy and a commitment to service before the youngest generations become our youngest employees?

“When we give students the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves, they internalize the value and impact of their contributions. In turn, they continue to give and participate on into adulthood.”

That’s the understanding driving the work coming out of Learning to Give (LTG), the Michigan-based nonprofit with international reach that is all about educating, equipping and empowering students to be giving and caring citizens through standards-aligned lessons and activities readily available for free to educators and parents. LTG was founded by CMF in collaboration with government, higher education, corporate and nonprofit leaders in 1977 and today, remains a supporting organization of CMF.

“Philanthropy education and service aligns knowledge and skills with students' innate caring and generosity,” explains Betsy Petersen, director of LTG.

With over 1,700 lessons, activities and resources to help educate youth about philanthropy, civil society and democracy, LTG is well-positioned to help children gain experiences to participate in community and empowers them to take action in support of their passions and values.

LTG’s TeachOne program includes three vibrant turnkey initiatives for 2018-19, each with a lesson plan and project for grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12. The initiatives focus on building community through giving while teaching interdisciplinary skills and art.

In a new blog post featured by the Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP), a CMF member, Michigan resident and recent high school graduate Fatima Taj reflects on three years as a teen philanthropist and cites community as a critical lesson learned.

“I think I took a lot of things from [CAAP’s Teen Grantmaking Initiative (TGI)], but one of the biggest things is the importance of community. And whether that’s in the group or the community at large, I think it’s really important to work as a team to get things done. Because, even though you may just be one person, you are a part of a bigger whole.”

The Harvard-bound teen says while her future career is undecided, she has deep interest in medical and environmental research that benefits the community.

“I do know that giving back will be a big part of my life in the future. Whether it’s like how we did in TGI or some other way, I definitely do plan on giving back in the future.”

TGI, the only Arab American youth philanthropy program in the country, is part of CMF’s youth philanthropy program.

With communities around the state giving particular focus to education now as students head back to school following the summer break, foundations who partner with education leaders are encouraged to share Learning to Give’s educational resources around building community.

Want more?

Dive deeper into the Deloitte Millennial Survey 2018 report.

Read Fatima Taj’s blog post on the Center for Arab American Philanthropy’s website.