George Norlin, president of the University of Colorado, once said, “He who knows only his own generation remains always a child.” By extension, his words instruct us to listen actively to build an understanding of the innovative perspectives of Millennial Generation and their collective wisdom. Indeed, the nonprofit or philanthropic organization that knows only its own generation foregoes opportunities and risks becoming obsolete and irrelevant. An organization that fails to engage and learn with millennials can be committing a failure in business judgment.
The Nonprofit Quarterly has been reporting on the social impact and continuing traction of a tech-enabled and action-oriented Millennial Generation. The reach of millennials was described in “An Interview with Jean Case on the 2013 Millennial Impact Report” through encouraging data and trends of the changing landscape of charity and volunteerism. NPQ next offered analysis of “Millennial Givers and a ‘Movement’ Approach to Giving,” reviewing growing efforts and trends through the lens of the 2014 Millennial Impact Report.
This newswire examines emerging insights and business models generating the success of this millennial givers movement. The transition from a nonprofit concept, vision and development-to-market is revealed in “How Millennials Are Reshaping Charity and Online Giving.” Scott Harrison, millennial founder of Charity: Water, has a model that promotes a classic call to action through new media with laser focus messaging. His platform reveals a keen awareness of building a capacity for connection with internal and external stakeholders. He indicated, “We’re also really trying to reinvent charity, reinvent the way people think about giving, the way that they give.” The mission of Charity: Water is to bring clean and safe drinking water to every person in the world.
