Does Generation Change Bring Opportunities or Just More Problems?
Over the past several years the topic of generation change in not-for-profits has been top of mind for many organizations. In fact, until the economic downturn, it was discussed as the “next big thing” for the sector. Some organizations were concerned with leadership turnover, since many ED/CEOs (and their management teams) are over 60 years of age. Other organizations were dealing with similar issues on their boards of directors, who are often mostly over 50. Still others were wrestling with inter-generational conflict. As you scan that list, it sounds like generation change will bring you nothing but trouble. And, since most not-for-profits are currently justifiably concerned with economics, it's easy to push those troubles back and not worry about them for the moment. While the economy and its impact on your organization and your community need to be your top priority, I would argue that it doesn't need to be your only priority, and that generation change brings many opportunities as well as some challenges. In fact, if you begin to work on adapting to generation change now, your organization will come out of the recession stronger than ever. As I regularly tell audiences when discussing this topic, the economy will get better at some point. Generation change, however, will not go away. What are the opportunities that generation change brings? Let's look at a brief list: A new mix of people. Not only do we have Silent Generation (born 1925-1946), Boomers ('47-'64), Gen X ('65-'81) and Gen@ ('82-'02) all working and volunteering together, but this mix brings a new diversity to the way we will address challenges. For example, GenX and Gen@ members are used to working in groups and collaborating in ways that those of us who are older have never imagined. They also (particularly Gen@) truly understand technology in a way that those of us born before 1964 simply can't. In addition, Boomers by the tens of thousands are retiring from their jobs in the private sector, military and government and coming to the not-for-profit sector for a second career as employees. New marketing needs. What I call MeBranding, or micro-customization has changed the face of marketing and affects your organization in many ways. Everyone expects some level of customization, whether as an employee, a volunteer, a service recipient or a donor. In addition, the first contact location for your organization has changed; pretty much anyone under 35, whether he or she is interested in volunteering or working for your organization, concerned about the services you provide, or considering a donation, will always, repeat---always---start on your website. This change of primary information source is a big hurdle for underfunded (and often under-teched) not-for-profits, but one that we cannot afford to ignore. Your website is your front door, whether you like it or not. If you are unsure about how to ramp up your website, go to www.techsoup.org and look at their terrific materials for making your website more welcoming. New fund raising and volunteer opportunities. Again, everything starts on your website, since more and more people will go there as a default, but it doesn't stop there. If you can't take donations by credit card or PayPal, your organization has lost income. There's no longer any discussion about this. Second, many, many websites provide very targeted opportunities to give. Look at www.donorschoose.org or www.globalgiving.org for examples. I know these sound like problems, but on the other hand, I know of three organizations who challenged their college interns to fund raise only by texting, and receiving hundreds of $10 donations rather than one $1,000 one. Younger people have vast, vast networks of friends. Remember that the next time someone says that only those of us over 50 are “connected”. So, the focus on technology brings some challenge, but great opportunity as well. In fact, I tell audiences all the time that the future of philanthropy is in the successful harnessing of technology for mission. And no one knows how to instinctively do that better than the young. As for volunteering, younger people volunteer in groups, and at a completely different level of involvement than prior generations. This requires better volunteer management from the not-for-profit, since more professional volunteers want more professional management. It also requires that we think through tasks that can be accomplished by multiple people at once. Take a look at www.dosomething.org for great examples of this, and consider listing your needs on this site and others like it. Collaborative-Ready Work Force. I mentioned earlier that GenX and Gen@ members come to our organizations ready to work in groups. This is due to the fact that they learned in groups in school. If you are my age (I was born in 1952), you did all your schoolwork (and tests) alone. My children (and my students at Kellogg School of Management) did many of their biggest projects in groups; which mimics how we solve problems in the real world. This is why younger people in your organization are always trying to speak up: they came trained to participate and reach consensus. We must harness all these ideas and insights into forces for good related to our mission. Boomer managers need to stop resisting listening to the young. Successful not-for-profits will use leadership guru John Maxwell's credo “Every idea is a good idea until we find the best idea” as well as remember the great words from John Case, CEO of Cisco, “No one of us is as smart as all of us.” In an era of lessening resources, why wouldn't we use all of the brains of all of the people involved with our not-for-profit? Generation change provides not-for-profits with many more opportunities than problems, but does require new ways of managing, marketing and fund raising to fully realize all the potential for your organization.
Peter Brinckerhoff is the author of the Terry McAdam Award-winning book Generations, The Challenge of A Lifetime for Your Nonprofit published by Fieldstone Alliance. You can learn more about Peter, his work and his other books at www.missionbased.com
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