Today I read a Forbes article titled “How Millennials Are Changing Philanthropy” and some of the cool points to keep in mind if you are a nonprofit fundraiser include the following:

• By 2020, Millennials will be the largest generational workforce in America.
• 84 percent of Millennial employees donated to a charity in 2014.
• In the same year, 70 percent gave more than an hour of their time to a cause.
• Even though Millennials earn less than previous generations, they are burdened with student loan debt, at the same stage in Gen X and Boomer generations, not as high a percentage in each group was giving money and time to charity. As people get older, they become more generous.
• Millennials are on their way to becoming the most generous generation of modern times.

One of the best things nonprofit leaders can do to start encouraging Millennials to partner with their cause is to create a volunteer program. Millennials are very supportive of charitable causes, even if they don’t yet have the purchasing power of Gen X or the Boomers. Also, since Millennials are immersed in technology, they are a great group to help you spread awareness about your organization among your peers.

Get a volunteer coordinator

If you are serious about a volunteer program, one of the best things you can do is select a volunteer coordinator. This person will be responsible for helping you develop the plan, execute the program, and then also measure the impact it is having in your community. If you can’t hire someone, consider asking a current supporter who has a lot of energy and enthusiasm for your cause. An essential quality for the volunteer coordinator is that they are warm, personable, and passionate about the work they do because that enthusiasm will carry over to the prospects and volunteers they will speak to for their program.

Achievable goals

To create a great volunteer program that Millennials want to participate in, you need to be clear about how to develop a plan that has measurable and achievable goals. Once you have a good program in place, you will need to create recruiting materials that will resonate with your target audience. It is important to make sure you communicate well and easily, the work you do, the results you have in your community, and what volunteers will gain from participating. At that last point, think about why your volunteers would want to participate, so consider all the benefits that will encourage them to join, including goals for them that will help them see the impact they are having as a volunteer.

Create a database of volunteers

Once you decide to create a volunteer program, you will want to make sure you gather relevant information from them. You can start with an Excel sheet, or if you have a more flexible and robust CRM system that will allow you to collect information, including fields unique to volunteer programs, that would be even better. Make sure you not only collect information such as names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, social media identifiers, but you will also want to collect information about the hours your volunteers will work, what they will do, and any other information directly. associated with your volunteer work.