Generational Shifts Archives - Personify https://personifycorp.com/blog/tag/generational-shifts/ Thu, 07 Apr 2022 20:47:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://personifycorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-color-150x150.png Generational Shifts Archives - Personify https://personifycorp.com/blog/tag/generational-shifts/ 32 32 Early career professionals: Have you heard of Personify’s EPiC Program? https://personifycorp.com/blog/early-career-professionals-epic/ Wed, 06 Nov 2019 19:58:35 +0000 http://personifycorp.com/?p=36153 What is the EPiC Program? 3.8 million. That’s how many students are expected to graduate from college in the 2019-2020 academic year and become early career professionals. When I think about it, it’s rather daunting that all of these students making decisions on their first jobs, which will help shape their career path and their […]

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What is the EPiC Program?

3.8 million.

That’s how many students are expected to graduate from college in the 2019-2020 academic year and become early career professionals. When I think about it, it’s rather daunting that all of these students making decisions on their first jobs, which will help shape their career path and their future. How can a 22-year old be expected to confidently grasp the ideal role for them when so many different possibilities exist, even within a single company?

Enter the Exceptional-Professionals-early-In-their-Career (EPiC) Program at Personify where new career professionals are given the opportunity to do just that—learn. The EPiC program consists of three rotations into various departments throughout the year, allowing the EPiC Specialist a chance to see where they are passionate and where they shine brightest. After graduating college from Texas A&M University in 2018 with a degree in Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, I was unsure of the direction I wanted to take, and that is why the EPiC program is exactly what I needed.

First Stop: People Operations

My first rotation began on the People Operations team, which has been a perfect start! Not only because it has given me insight into the intricacies of Personify’s staffing needs, internal operations and culture but also because it has enabled my passion for helping others. The core focus of the People Ops team is the employees—making sure that staff are happy, fulfilled and doing their best work in addition to building a strong culture along with managing benefits, compliance, facilities and much more. An important skill that goes into a successful People Ops team is being a team player. Everyone on the team may own separate projects, but at the end of the day they all tie into one another. I am fortunate to be on a team that has put a lot of emphasis on collaboration and aiding one another to ensure the job gets done in a timely manner.

I think the most challenging aspect of being a part of the People Ops team is the fact that every day is unpredictable. I may have my day fully planned out, but there is always that chance that something more pressing is going to require my attention, so flexibility and adaptability are key. At times, it might feel as though the to-do list continues to grow without ever getting shorter, but a healthy workload means that organization and prioritization of projects are incredibly important.

From the outside looking in, one might not realize all that goes into creating and maintaining a strong foundation for the company. In this rotation, I have gained an increased understanding of the importance of the People Operations department. This department is such an integral part to any company and its success.

Future Rotations and Next Steps

Before my time at Personify, I worked in the health insurance industry and I have been able to leverage this experience in managing employee benefits on the People Ops team. As I look forward to my next possible rotations, such as finance or sales operations, I am certain I have attained much knowledge from my first rotation that will be transferable into other departments to help me succeed. I am excited to discover more about Personify and gather more insight into all the components that makes this company successful!

Although the EPiC program is fairly new to Personify, we’ve already had eight people participate in the program and new classes will join in 2020. As an EPiC Specialist, you have an opportunity to showcase your skills and contributions to your team and the organization as a whole. I feel fortunate to not have only found a great company to work for, but also a great program that will serve as a launching pad for my career. I think that more companies need to adopt a program like this one because it not only allows program to gain knowledge and increase their skill sets, but it also helps provide a pipeline of new talent and develop future leaders.

Interested in the EPiC Program or a career with Personify? Check out our open positions.

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Omnichannel Membership: 4 Ways Consumer Trends are Influencing Your Constituents’ Behavior https://personifycorp.com/blog/omnichannel-membership-4-ways-consumer-trends-are-influencing-your-constituents-behavior/ Tue, 13 Aug 2019 21:39:16 +0000 http://personifycorp.com/?p=35987 Fun fact! I recently bought a chainsaw. It’s true. Eager to get some overgrown garden beds under control, last weekend our family became the proud owner of a Ryobi 40-volt brushless lithium-ion cordless chainsaw. Because I’m not in the habit of buying power tools, and the cost of all available options wasn’t what I could […]

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omnichannelFun fact! I recently bought a chainsaw.

It’s true. Eager to get some overgrown garden beds under control, last weekend our family became the proud owner of a Ryobi 40-volt brushless lithium-ion cordless chainsaw. Because I’m not in the habit of buying power tools, and the cost of all available options wasn’t what I could classify as insignificant, I approached the purchase as I do most others. I asked friends and family for their thoughts, went online, watched a handful of videos and read reviews on different hardware store websites before walking into the store and completing the transaction.

While I’ve spent much of my career in nonprofit technology, an equal number of years saw me working in ecommerce. As a marketer, and a product manager, I built campaigns and tools to help retailers and brands reach consumers no matter where they were – on a mobile device, online, in-store – and to ensure the experience was a seamless one. The idea of omnichannel wasn’t new to me and has been the way I’ve bought pretty much everything for the last decade (or more).

Apparently, I’m no longer alone. According to Google, 98 percent of Americans switch devices over the course of that day and IT research firm Aberdeen Group reports more than half of all companies are trying to reach us through no fewer than eight channels. It seems all of us have become accustomed to what retailers have dubbed the omnichannel experience, where a shopper engages through a series of channels to complete a transaction. Whether it’s the chainsaw you started researching online and bought in-store, or the beauty product you saw on the shelf and purchased via the web after reading reviews, the importance of a consistent experience designed to help the end user accomplish a goal has never been more important.

What does it all mean for nonprofits? A lot, actually.

Personify first noticed this phenomenon in our landmark Young Members 2.0 research published earlier this year. Digital, social, live events and even phone calls worked together to communicate value, creating a memorable, meaningful experience and both Millennial and Gen Z members reported engaging through a variety of channels in pursuit of what they understood as a single, consistent objective: to be a member. We found ourselves asking if this was isolated behavior, unique to young members who we recognized as sophisticated in their technology use or was there more to the story?

If you want answers, you need to ask questions. In July of 2019, we launched new research into the field, to expand on some of Personify’s earlier discoveries, exploring how all members, regardless of where they are in their membership journey, perceive membership and to better understand how they engage with the various channels used by associations.

What did we learn? A lot. While we’re putting the finishing touches on the report itself, we discovered that the omnichannel behaviors members show as consumers are now influencing how they engage with membership organizations. With the ability to deliver a seamless and consistent experience across channels, omnichannel can boost both a deeper relationship between the member and association plus yield bottom-line results driving a 30% higher lifetime customer value.

Other key findings:

  • Engagement via different channels isn’t a phenomenon unique to younger members. 73% of users across all generations report using multiple channels to engage with their favorite brands when provided with the option to do so.
  • Membership is important…but it may not be enough long-term. Nearly three-in-four of members surveyed reported that it is important to them personally to be part of an association, with half contending it is very important. But this wasn’t the feeling across all generations and there was a sharp drop-off in value with one particular segment we surveyed.
  • The top engagement channels weren’t necessarily the ones associations are telling us are their areas of focus, and there was a huge surprise in terms of what most beloved by our youngest survey respondents.
  • In-person events continued to perform well as an engagement channel, but many channels associations are using to replicate these connections online aren’t just failing to meet expectations, they’re actively disliked!

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There were additional bombshells that caught us off guard and very obvious ways in which associations can leverage what was uncovered about channel effectiveness to begin crafting that retail-like omnichannel experience members crave.

Interested in learning more? Join us for a free on-demand Webinar.

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On Brand, On Message, On…Insta? https://personifycorp.com/blog/young-members-2-0-on-brand/ Tue, 12 Feb 2019 15:00:17 +0000 http://personifycorp.com/?p=35580 Young Members 2.0 Lessons in Awareness & Conversion About 51,100,000 results. That’s what I got recently when I Googled “marketing to Gen Z.” For the curious, searching for “marketing to Millennials” yielded 56,200,000 results. We read headlines about younger generations daily, but it’s not every day we get the opportunity to hear from young members […]

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Young Members 2.0 Lessons in Awareness & Conversion

About 51,100,000 results.

That’s what I got recently when I Googled “marketing to Gen Z.” For the curious, searching for “marketing to Millennials” yielded 56,200,000 results.

We read headlines about younger generations daily, but it’s not every day we get the opportunity to hear from young members (and prospective young members) directly but in December of 2018 Personify surveyed 1,000 Millennials and Generation Z members to understand their perspectives on membership and the organizations with which they engage.

While we talk about them as one audience, young members represent a diverse group. Millennials, born roughly between 1981 and 1997 include those finishing college to parents well into their careers, perhaps with kids. Generation Z is just starting to enter the workforce.

The first trick in getting young members onboard involves capturing their attention. How can associations and other member-focused organizations attract these generations?

Meeting Young Members Where They Are

When asked about all the ways they became aware of the association in which they were the most active, two-in-five young members report they were recruited by someone they already knew and two in five also report they were recruited in person at an event. Other top activities include:

  • Via email
  • Through an online ad
  • Via Facebook

While Facebook performed well in our survey with regards to awareness, other social channels delivered mixed results in terms of their effectiveness in building awareness. In something of a surprise, LinkedIn ranks last among younger association members when it comes to initial recruitment with only seven percent of respondents becoming aware of an association via LinkedIn. In fact, twice as many (15%) attributed early awareness to Instagram.

Their appetite for digital media makes sense. There’s no shortage of articles talking about how digitally fluent Millennials and digital native Gen Z are early adopters in terms of their technology and are never more than arms reach from a mobile device. However, this deep experience has created heightened expectations. Millennials and Gen Z members demand the convenience of a seamless experience at every touch point with brands, both in-person and online. Each touch point must build on the last and be consistent with the next.

Harnessing the Power of Your People

Even with an array of channels with which to get the word out, traditional advertising messages don’t cut it with young members – you need something extra.

recent study from Google found that Generation Z wants brands to be “a representation of their values, their expectations of themselves and their peers.” If they adopt the brand, what does it say about them as a person? Gen Z uses brands to help shape their world.

Why? The implications of being associated with a particular brand is part of it but there are thousands of products in-market today and the options are almost limitless. Although an extreme view, knowledge is available to anyone willing to look for it and networking can be achieved for free through digital sites.

They need a reason why becoming involved with your organization is going to create value in their lives, and they want to see the proof from their peers. After all, both generations distrust advertising and are leery of marketing messages. According to Hubspot, 84 percent of millennials don’t trust traditional advertising and data from SocialChorus shows only six percent of millennials consider online advertising to be credible while 95 percent do trust their friends. Research recently featured in AdWeek suggests  63 percent of Gen Z wants to hear from peers and everyday folks, not celebrities. All told, Gen Z is 1.3 times more likely to purchase a product recommended by one of their favorite influencers than by a television or film celebrity.

Personify saw a similar preference expressed in our own research. When asked where they would be likely to go to learn more about an organization they’d consider joining, young members report turning to other members. In-person conversations, whether at an event (49%) or with someone they already know (42%), proved the most effective in conversion. These one-on-one conversations with real people matter and remain essential in demonstrating value and creating a meaningful experience. When asked how important it was that an association facilitates connections with authentic people who understand their unique needs within the initial part of their journey, 94 percent of young members identified this as important, with almost two-thirds suggesting it’s very important.

Interest in learning more about what this means for your organization? Download our Young Members 2.0 report or watch our on-demand Webinar.

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Young Members 2.0 Our New Benchmark Report https://personifycorp.com/blog/young-members-2-0-our-new-benchmark-report/ Fri, 08 Feb 2019 01:01:40 +0000 http://personifycorp.com/?p=35558 It’s always funny when the personal and professional collide. About a week ago, I went to my mailbox and found in it two magazines. Both featured cover stories around the emergence of Generation Z. Then there was the post-holiday onslaught of email newsletters with articles like: Make way for Generation Z in the Workplace How […]

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Young MembersIt’s always funny when the personal and professional collide.

About a week ago, I went to my mailbox and found in it two magazines. Both featured cover stories around the emergence of Generation Z. Then there was the post-holiday onslaught of email newsletters with articles like:

  • Make way for Generation Z in the Workplace
  • How Generation Z Will Impact Your Workplace
  • How Generation Z Will Transform the Future Workplace

The focus and attention on generations is understandable. It’s a fascinating, ever-changing topic with broad application and a lot of appeal. We each belong to one of the groups studied and have an opportunity to talk with others about how we either align or differ from stereotypes presented.

In addition to our personal lives, as noted from the content showing up in my inbox, the potential implications of demographic shifts on the workplace are nothing short of seismic. Millennials, generally identified as those born between 1981 and 1996, are expected to represent half of the global workforce by 2020 while Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, will make up an additional 20 percent by 2021.

The last several years have seen the introduction of multiple studies designed to help nonprofits understand different generations, highlighting what makes each unique and providing guidance on how to best meet their particular needs. But we couldn’t help feeling like there was more to learn. For example:

  • How do the trends we’re seeing in the nonprofit align or differ from what’s being reported in other areas of media?
  • Has the behavior of Millennials changed as they’ve grown in their careers?
  • Are there notable differences in the preferences of Millennials and Generation Z that nonprofits should be aware of?

We had questions and wanted answers.

While the publicly available data was helpful, Personify took the step of fielding our own original research and in December of last year asked 1,000 Millennials and Generation Z members for their perspective on a variety of topics including their lives, how they learn about organizations, make the decision to join, the best ways to engage them—and the best ways to retain them.

The good news?

Across the board, young members remain steadfast in their commitment to membership with 87 percent of those responding to our survey reporting it is important to be part of an association and more than half (51%) reporting that being part of an association is becoming more important than it used to be.

But there’s more to the story.

The complete findings are being published today in our brand-new, complimentary report, Young Members 2.0: Understanding and Benchmarking the Membership Preferences of Millennials and Generation Z.

We’ll be walking through the results in more detail in our upcoming webinar: Young Members 2.0. While the data affirmed some of the things that we believed to be true, there were a number of surprises:

  • The role that personal, one-on-one IRL (in real life) interactions play at different stages in the membership journey
  • Which social media channels topped the list – and which fell flat
  • How young members are, and are not, engaging with the events programming driving your non-dues revenue
  • The potentially catastrophic retention issue taking root with Millennials and Gen Z

Membership matters. While each organization’s membership is unique, we believe our findings can inform and support strategies designed to support the long-term growth and success of your organization.

Young members, Millennials and Gen Z, like generations before them are turning to organizations for leadership, knowledge and the personal connections as a springboard to their personal success. The time has come for organizations to do the same. Let’s get to work.

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Talkin’ ‘Bout my Generation https://personifycorp.com/blog/talkin-bout-my-generation/ Thu, 18 Oct 2018 21:28:19 +0000 http://personifycorp.com/?p=35266 A Big Picture Approach to Seeing the Forest Through the Trees As anyone who sits within earshot of me will attest, I love few things more than a good idiom. Near the top of my list of favorite sayings are ones encouraging people to change up their perspective, to see the forest through the trees […]

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A Big Picture Approach to Seeing the Forest Through the Trees

As anyone who sits within earshot of me will attest, I love few things more than a good idiom. Near the top of my list of favorite sayings are ones encouraging people to change up their perspective, to see the forest through the trees or to see the big picture.

This idea of not getting lost in the details is relevant in any number of situations but has interesting application when it comes to nonprofits and how they look to understand the members and donors that make up their constituency. Thanks to technology and the advent of big data, it’s never been easier to segment the information to recognize patterns, understand activity and even anticipate behavior.

But data points within your system are just one tree in a much larger forest – just a fragment of a much larger picture. Data may allow you to segment down to the individual or a group related by a particular attribute (age or role in your organization) but often the systems are only capturing engagement with your organization.

A donor or member is more than a name on a contact record – they’re a person, with multiple dimensions. Their preferences and view of the world are informed by trends and experiences organizations may not have visibility into such as:

  • Their lives at home, or their households
  • Their ideology and voting preferences
  • Their digital lives, including their use of social media

No one is suggesting doing these kinds of deep dives with individual constituents, but it’s worth looking at broader demographic and psychographics to help provide context for some of what you may be seeing in your organization. Consider social media. If you were looking at social media in the context of your organization – say, in 2006 – you wouldn’t have seen adoption of many of the sites popular with today’s donors and members.

Taking a broader view and looking at consumer behavior proved helpful in expanding the perspective of the nonprofit sector. Nonprofits are trying to attract, retain and engage constituents – which are a broader, more diverse group than ever before. One of the most efficient ways to look at key themes across a large audience is to understand behavior in terms of generations, or (in sociology terms) a birth cohort, a group of people who experience the same significant events within a given period of time.

We looked at everyone from the Silent Generation (born 1928-1945) through Generation Z (1997-2012). Some of what we saw validated things we believed to be true but there were surprises as well. For example:

  • Many associations have focused on Millennials, but Generation Z will comprise 20% of the workforce in 2021, just over 2 years away. And they have distinctly different preferences than their Millennial predecessors, with a different vision for their career.
  • And, the difference in usage between Millennials and Gen Z when it comes to one of the most popular social media sites? Well, it’s…a lot.
  • Speaking of Millennials—many of them are mid-career, with the oldest members of the generation approaching 40 with kids of their own.
  • And what about Gen X, at the prime of their career? As far as generations go, they’re smaller in number but now account for more than a third of the income in the U.S.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Each of these data points has implications that can be used to better understand and inform your strategy, giving depth and texture to the member and donor groups you’re already tracking in your AMS or CRM.

We’ll be exploring these in greater detail in our on-demand webinar, Talkin’ ‘Bout my Generation. Join us as we review the latest data from leading research organizations including Pew and Nielsen to:

  • Explore the background and demographics for various segments, from Boomers to Gen Z (Spoiler: There’s more than ONE Boomer group…)
  • Dive deep into key trends influencing generational behavior as members and donors
  • Share best practices on how to reach them and tips on how to bring these unique audiences together as a single group to support your mission.

Watch the on-demand webinar

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Have We Reached the Facebook Tipping Point? https://personifycorp.com/blog/have-we-reached-the-facebook-tipping-point/ Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:02:12 +0000 http://personifycorp.com/?p=35192 1997 was the year Harry Potter was published, “Titanic” opened at the box office and the Hanson brothers skateboarded into the hearts of teen girls everywhere and gave us all the earworm that was their catchy pop hit “Mmmbop.” It also the year I started my professional career and dove head first into the world […]

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Source: IMDB

1997 was the year Harry Potter was published, “Titanic” opened at the box office and the Hanson brothers skateboarded into the hearts of teen girls everywhere and gave us all the earworm that was their catchy pop hit “Mmmbop.”

It also the year I started my professional career and dove head first into the world of market research.

To say I’ve seen a lot of change in the last 20+ years would be a gross understatement but one area that has fascinated me the most is the interaction between people and technology, particularly the phenomenon of social networking. As a marketer, each interaction on one of these sites represents a new insight about a user and/or their behavior that I can use to personalize messages and be more relevant. The sheer number of people on social media sites also makes them incredibly attractive as a tool to build awareness with target audiences.

And they’ve been cost-effective. Anyone can create an account, build a page, set up a group. For nonprofits, often resource constrained by tight budgets and limited staff, social media sites seem like an ideal place to not only learn more about their constituents and build awareness for their cause, but also build their community. After all, members and donors are already there.

Friendster.com went live in 2002 and was adopted by 3 million users within the first few months but has since faded away. Then came MySpace, whose 100 millionth account was created in 2006 but was quickly overshadowed by Facebook who overtook MySpace in Alexa traffic rankings in 2008.

Facebook has maintained this leadership position, but storm clouds are gathering on the horizon. Whether through security breaches or attempts to monetize user data, 87 million accounts have had their information accessed. 865 million fake news posts have appeared in user feeds. This has created a sense of mistrust with Facebook user rates shrinking by 20 percent in key demographics. And in just released research from Pew Data, 26 percent of Americans have deleted Facebook from their phone while another 42 percent report taking extended breaks.

What does this mean? What, specifically, does this mean for nonprofits who lean on Facebook for their online communities, a critical component to keeping constituents informed and engaged? Do they do so at their own peril?

Rarely in my career have I seen anything transform as quickly as the relationship between Facebook and its users, with breaking news seemingly every week. Maybe the key to the future is in the past? After all, as Winston Churchill famously noted, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Watch our on-demand Webinar

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Where the Left and Right Brain Meet: Nonprofit Marketing https://personifycorp.com/blog/where-the-left-and-right-brain-meet-nonprofit-marketing/ Fri, 14 Sep 2018 19:51:53 +0000 http://personifycorp.com/?p=35185 The face of the nonprofit constituency is changing. As Millennials move from volunteer to donor, Generation Z is right behind them. While these younger members of your constituency may bring new energy and new ideas, they also bring the NOW Effect: information must be mobile, transparent, factual and delivered in real-time. This generational shift is […]

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The face of the nonprofit constituency is changing. As Millennials move from volunteer to donor, Generation Z is right behind them. While these younger members of your constituency may bring new energy and new ideas, they also bring the NOW Effect: information must be mobile, transparent, factual and delivered in real-time. This generational shift is not just bringing new demands to the table, those demands are requiring a whole new set of tools that nonprofit marketers will need in order to succeed and thrive in the modern era of NPOs and associations.

The Left Brain Meets the Right Brain

While marketers in the past could be analytical or creative, the modern demands on the NPO marketer mean having an intellectual ambidexterity that hasn’t existed before. Online giving grew by 12.1% in 2017 and is projected to grow in 2018 and 2019, and the face of the donor may be younger than you think. While 11% of total US giving came from Millennials last year, 59% of Generation Z donated based on a message or image that they saw on social. Not only are young people more aware of issues, but they’re more willing to donate both their time and money to the causes that speak to them.

These younger audiences spend upwards of 10 hours a day consuming content. This means two things:

  1. In order to stand out, your campaigns must be targeted.
  2. In order to convert, your campaigns must be interesting.

While a simple “Please give” CTA may have sufficed in the past, digital audiences are far savvier and more educated. They want to know who your organization is, where their donation will go, what their donation will do to help, and why they should give their time and monetary donations to you instead of the one of the other 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the US.

Right Brain: The Artist

With the rise of the educated donor, strategy and creativity must collide in a big way. By creating interesting, beautiful and highly targeted content, you can reach the right people at the right time. However, it’s crucial to remember: your content is one in a sea of other messages, so your messaging must be relevant as well as creative.

Creative marketing includes the following disciplines that you’ll need to reach the new, digitally-savvy market:

Email Marketing

The NOW effect isn’t just about text messages—Millennials actually prefer their communication through email. With that in mind, creating beautiful and engaging email marketing campaigns that speak to your target audience can help you educate and convert right from their inbox.

Content Marketing

Blogs, testimonials, white papers—whatever you create should tell a story and urge an action. Let your content be the soul of your creative strategy: use different writers to present different perspectives, let people share their stories. This type of authenticity appeals to demographics of all ages.

Social Media Marketing

Despite many pronouncements to the contrary, social media is not dead. In fact, more and more users are logging in and staying logged in—consuming content across multiple platforms for up to 10 hours a day. New social algorithms are putting content with lots of organic engagement at the forefront so be creative with your messaging and encourage users to share their stories on your page and share your posts.

Visual Content

Video and images are shared more than text (40% more, actually), so make sure you have striking imagery and video content for users to share to increase your organic reach and engagement rates. This means your content can reach more people in more corners of the world than ever before.

Left Brain: The Scientist

Every great artist knows that creativity is not the only part of inspiration—strategy, data, planning and intent can take something beautiful and make it successful. Here are some of the more analytical disciplines you’ll need:

Performance tracking

Simply launching a campaign and hoping it will do well is not an option. Using tools to help you track your performance ensures you’re on the right track and allows you to troubleshoot and optimize if you’re not.

Operations

Organizing your growing constituency is no easy task. Without the aid of a CRM, keeping track of who is who and what they are doing becomes almost impossible. Wasting both time and money organizing contacts and prospective members mean less time and money spent on new programs and campaigns.

Analytics

Proving the ROI on activities is a major pain point for a lot of NPOs and associations. A gut feeling is not an acceptable metric for success and so having an analytics tool to help you track success is critical.

Campaign Tracking

Speaking of tracking success—do you know how your campaigns or performing? Workflows, drip campaigns, pay-per-click, paid social—how are all of your tactics not only performing as individuals but how are they performing together? Tracking the performance of your campaigns is crucial—not just for tracking the success of today but for planning the growth of tomorrow.

Feeling a little overwhelmed? We’ve created an infographic to help demonstrate what you need to do and where you need to focus to create a truly data-driven and captivating marketing campaign.

Nonprofit Marketers are both artists and scientists

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Gen Z: The Big Picture https://personifycorp.com/blog/generation-z-the-big-picture/ Thu, 16 Aug 2018 20:36:14 +0000 http://personifycorp.com/?p=34415 Until recently, many nonprofits have focused on Millennials instead of Gen Z and understandably so. As digital natives, Millennials marked a shift for nonprofits and forced them to reconsider their use of technology and adoption of new communications channels. Their approach to careers was also different, with less loyalty to a specific employer and more […]

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Until recently, many nonprofits have focused on Millennials instead of Gen Z and understandably so. As digital natives, Millennials marked a shift for nonprofits and forced them to reconsider their use of technology and adoption of new communications channels. Their approach to careers was also different, with less loyalty to a specific employer and more moves from role to role.
Gen Z

But as English poet Geoffrey Chaucer first noted in his “Prologue to the Clerk’s Tale” (published in 1395!), “Time and tide wait for no man.”

Born between 1997 and 2010, Generation Z is quickly coming into their own. According to MediaKix, Gen Z is expected to reach 2.6 billion people globally in 2020, with 85 million members in the United States. That’s 24.7 percent of the American population – Gen Z will outnumber the Millennial and baby boomer generations that came before them.

Who is Generation Z?

Through virtue of their youth, open-mindedness and prolific use of technology, Gen Z and Millennials are often lumped together into a more homogenous group. Yet there’s more to the story. As a 2015 article in the New York Times observed, “Millennials, after all, were raised during the boom times and relative peace of the 1990s, only to see their sunny world dashed by the September 11 attacks and two economic crashes, in 2000 and 2008. Theirs is a story of innocence lost. Generation Z, by contrast, has had its eyes open from the beginning, coming along in the aftermath of those cataclysms in the era of the war on terror and the Great Recession.”

This exposure to a time filled with life’s ups-and-downs, paired with unparalleled access to the latest news and global issues, creates a unique perspective. Their awareness of the potential for financial instability has made Generation Z more cautious, with 58 percent reporting they are either somewhat or very worried about their future and 57 percent reporting they’d rather save money than spend it immediately.

An interest in stability extends beyond finances. While some are years away from beginning a career, many members of Gen Z in the workforce display more traditional attitudes towards work and employment. On average, members of this generation say they want to work for only four companies through their careers, according to a 2015 study conducted by Robert Half. Similarly, they are more likely to indicate a preference for a traditional bricks-and-mortar workplace rather than working remotely. Generation Z grew up with technology, yet 53 percent prefer in-person communication over tools like instant messaging and video conferencing.

Yet they remain driven to make a difference. Per Time Magazine, Gen Z said that “having an impact on the world” is going to be important to them in their jobs. That’s a sharp increase from the 39 percent of millennials who expressed this sentiment in 2010, when they were in the same age range. They are socially aware and diverse, with more than half of Gen Z coming from a minority race by 2020 (US Census Bureau).

Capturing the Attention of the Gen Z Constituent

So how to attract this generation? We’ll be diving into this in more detail soon (stay tuned!). Every constituent is different, but there are some quick tips to get you thinking:

1. Meet them where they are

A report from Common Sense Media, notes teens and tweens of Generation Z spend between six and nine hours a day absorbing media on multiple platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. On average, Gen Z uses up to five screens to consume media. A lot of channels, a lot of screens creates competition for attention. It’s been noted that Generation Z has a short attention span, only eight seconds as opposed to 12 for Millennials.

When trying to connect with and deliver value to this group, it’s important to not only go where they go but to do so with the understanding of how the channels are used. YouTube attracts by far the biggest Gen Z audience as those users look for entertainment and fun content. They might be slightly less likely than Millennials to be Facebooking or Tweeting but are more likely to be watching which brands their favorite influencer is engaging with on Instagram or Snapchat.

Appreciate that messages across medium matter to Generation Z and that they’re taking action on what they’ve seen online. For an association, know they’re watching snackable content on a train ride via your YouTube channel. Donor-focused nonprofits should know, per the 2017 Giving Report, 59 percent of Gen Z reports being inspired to donate to charity by a message or image they saw on social media. Hashtags can help your messages break through and get discovered not only by those overwhelmed by their own updates but others who have not yet found you.

2. Tell Your Story and Tell It Well

Reaching Generation Z in the way, and places, that resonate best is only part of the battle.

Like their Gen X parents, Gen Z has had broad, lifelong exposure to media and expects authenticity from the organizations they interact with. Tell an inspiring story about your organization, paint a picture of how they can become involved and what the impact of their participation will be. Sincerity is key, and realistic narratives from people who look like them are particularly impactful in gaining and keeping their attention.

Next, bring your story to life. Meaningful relationships are built on trust and video offers one of the most powerful mediums for inspiring audiences. Visual content is key in telling your story. Show your purpose and illustrate possible solutions with actual donors and members. Photos and infographics also offer great ways to relay data in a memorable and digestible way.

3. Engage in a Meaningful Way

For the nonprofit who has captured the attention of Generation Z and compelled them to engage via a compelling story, opportunities are almost limitless. But to make the most of limited resources, it’s important to focus on programs and initiatives that may have specific value to this generation based on their experiences and where they are in their life.

For member-centric organizations, mentorship programs where Generation Z members are paired with others more experienced in their careers, can provide invaluable support during the transition from student to professional membership (not to mention the benefits of re-engaging your older members and allowing them to share hard-won knowledge).

Donor-focused charities have long engaged with Generation Z as fundraisers. Recent research from the Cassandra Report observes 26 percent have raised money for a cause and 32 percent have donated their own money (or allowances). But opportunities remain to connect supporters, deepen these relationships and allow this emerging group to exercise their social conscience. Tap into their entrepreneurial spirit and embrace their desire to use social media for social good, not social currency.

Provide them with the tools to stand up for causes they’re passionate about. For those not in the workforce, volunteer opportunities create an amazing opportunity to build their resume and contribute to their communities. (Fresh out of fundraising ideas? Our friends at Wild Apricot have rounded up over 200 fundraising ideas here.)

Gen Z is here and they’re looking for us. While Millennials represented a seismic shift for many organizations, Gen Z allows us to build on our knowledge of the importance of segmentation and allows us to apply what we’ve learned. Their awareness and enthusiasm represent a huge opportunity for nonprofits both now and in the years to come.

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