Dr. Richard Clark
Finding volunteer can be difficult, especially millennials. When looking for 4-H millennial volunteers, consider the following tips:
Research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that people age 20 to 24 are the least likely to volunteer. The age group above them isn’t much better. However, the Millennial Impact Report shared that “77% of millennials said they’re more likely to volunteer when they can use their specific skills or expertise to benefit a cause.” The same number of people “preferred to perform cause work with groups of fellow employees as opposed to doing independent service projects“.
If you are looking to engage millennials in more volunteer activities, work on the following:
- Find real, skills-based projects that make a demonstrable impact.
- Create a group-like experience (even if the work is individual in nature, put people in a cohort or networking group).
- Increase exposure to corporate and nonprofits leaders that can help the volunteer build their network.
Design transformational experiences that highlight how the work makes a real impact Integrate volunteering as a part of a person’s job and growth opportunities (research shows volunteering is a powerful leadership development tool)
Excerpts from: ‘Purpose’ Is the Key to Engaging Millennials in Volunteering and Giving
