Leverage Youth-Led Social Fundraising to Empower Change

Our world is digital, social and divided. It's a shame, really, that during a time of immense innovation, there's so much division, wars and even famine. I've always believed that there's a secret weapon that society should use much more often in leadership positions. Within the nonprofit sector, I think that harnessing the power of youth — especially this more socially conscious group — is a way to reframe all of our social challenges. 

The truth of the matter, if you have years of experience, is that people younger than 35 seem to be much more conscious and aware of life. Much of it concerns the fact that they grew up with social media, influencers and streaming. In other words, they faced the realities of the good and bad in the world from an early age. When you have the world at your fingertips through social media at the age of 13, it’s tough not to know what’s going on in it. 

These generations — followed by baby boomers and Generation X, the smallest generation — represent an opportunity for everyone to come together to leverage the power of social good and nonprofits. The fact is that we need to leverage their enthusiasm, skills, tech abilities and perspectives. After all, the future is theirs, so they should be given a chance to shape it in the nonprofit sector. If you agree, the question is then, how? Here are four ideas.

1. Include Youth on the Nonprofit Board

One of the best ways to involve youth is to place them in leadership positions in nonprofit boards. This strategy allows them to work alongside long-term leaders and add fresh views and perspectives. The fact is that young people can learn new things from those who are older, but the same is true in reverse. Young people can offer new insights into changing values, communication styles, social norms and ideas that matter for their generations. Moreover, including young people on boards demonstrates a commitment to diversity and inclusivity.

2. Form a Young Executives Group

If your board and major donors happen to own businesses or be executives in corporations, it's an excellent opportunity to bring their young company leaders on board. You can do so by creating a young executives group. 

It will offer two fundamental benefits. First, it serves as a powerful way for ambitious young people to network and develop in their careers. Second, this group can bring together their skills, energy and ideas to fundraise and promote a specific program. As a result, it will lift a nonprofit into a broader network. 

3. Establish a Youth Advisory Team

A team of youth advisors is a great way to shape a nonprofit's approach to engaging with a broader audience in different ways. Sometimes, older generations tend to think that young people have limited financial resources. While that may be true, they care about social causes. If you engage them, they will leverage peers through marketing or fundraising. So, creating a youth advisory team in your organization is an excellent way to get input for marketing, messaging and even fundraising from youth leaders who care about their communities. 

4. Recruit Social Media Ambassadors

We know that social media has its pluses and its minuses. However, it's not going anywhere. Moreover, new platforms will continue to crop up. Young social media ambassadors who believe in your cause have an excellent approach to marketing. 

The reality is that anyone on your team is paid staff. Your volunteer social media ambassadors aren't paid, and they can have conversations and messaging that marketing teams simply can't. Further, by continually adding new ambassadors, you will be able to leverage outreach through a myriad of platforms. 

Social change is a continuous activity, and your nonprofit should always seek to change and grow in new ways. Doing so isn't just a nice-to-do, but it's a must-do to remain relevant in a dynamic and unpredictable world. Therefore, you create tremendous value for your organization by including young people in board governance, leadership and ambassador positions. Moreover, you can unlock hidden potential for growth and sustainability. In sum, providing youth opportunities is a blueprint for a thriving organization. 

The preceding post was provided by an individual unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.