They’re innovative, efficient, empathic, enthusiastic, and 77% of them say they’d like to help charities and not-for-profits … yet only a small percentage actually do.

So, what exactly is the problem with Millennial volunteers? And why aren’t New Zealand charitable orgs taking advantage of the massive opportunity they present to help us build stronger, better communities?

According to the team at Achieve that produced the 2015 Millennial Impact Report, it’s all down to poor communication between orgs that really want volunteers and the millions of millennial volunteers who really want to volunteer at things they’re good at.

“77% of millennial volunteers said they would be more likely to volunteer if they could use their specific skills or expertise,” says Millennial Impact Report co-author, Derrick Feldman. “And with so much of our work now being done online or remotely, millennial volunteers are able to be innovative and efficient while maintaining the flexibility and convenience that is so highly valued by young professionals.”

The problem seems to be that while charitable orgs realise the value and opportunity presented by millennial volunteers, many struggle to find a way to take advantage of it – and have even less of a clue about how to get millennials ‘in the door’.

If your charity or not-for-profit wants to use millennials to change the world, here are some top tips to get them on board:

By appealing to their unique skills sets and offering them the chance to change the world, organisations can have the kind of personal, targeted conversations needed to finally match up with millennials and reap all of the rewards that will bring.

So, now that you know what you need to say, let’s get back to ‘where’ you need to say it, which is on social media.

Nowadays, having a social media presence is an imperative tool for organisations to stay in the realm of online awareness and reach new audiences.

Due to the social influence of millennials, leveraging their online networks to further grow your organisation’s community is an opportunity too valuable not to pursue. By having an online presence, you give your millennial volunteers the opportunity they need to post about and tag your organisation, spreading the word about your cause to their own network – and by posting consistent shareable content on your organisation’s channels, this is only encouraged further.

Above all, remember to think outside the box; because millennials are creative, have grown up with tech-based solutions and respond to originality (which is precisely why you want them to be spending their spare time helping you and not on social media).

If your organisation can provide a point of difference, a degree of online accessibility, maintain an authentic tone of voice, all the while appealing to the unique strengths of millennials as talented and skilled individuals - isn’t the sky really the limit?

About the author:

Ellie Nikakis is the Marketing Manager at Vollie, an online volunteering marketplace that exists to help close the gap between millennials and volunteering. Vollie provides a solution for young professionals who want to make the world a better place but are intimidated by the idea of committing to a volunteer role. Vollie facilitates your organisation’s connection with young audiences, and help you find the most effective way to engage them.