Many news outlets will write about millennials as if they are explorers documenting newly-discovered species, observing every action with bewilderment. Appealing to the sought-after generation known as millennials, however, is mostly common sense and not as hard as it seems.

Rachel Clemens, president and founder of Creative Suitcase and Heath Riddles, director at Elizabeth Christian Public Relations, gave a presentation during the recent Bridge to Integrated Marketing Conference in National Harbor, Md., addressing the best way to engage younger donors.

In “The Donors of Tomorrow: Effective Ways to Engage Millennials,” the pair gave ideas on the best way to appeal to the group born between approximately 1982 and 2004:

* Young audiences understand technology and expect your organization to do so, too. Providing technology that works, making it easy to find information on your website, and utilizing sharing capabilities for social media help achieve this.
* Millennials want recognition for their participation in your organization. A public “thank you” or something in return for their participation goes a long way;
* Communication through multiple channels and providing variety engage millennials and create brand recognition;
* Millennials want to be part of a group and feel included. Many look for workplace opportunities to volunteer and 65 percent more likely to volunteer if a co-worker does;
* Millennials care about brands and want to see the brand as an extension of their personal beliefs; and,
* The best approach to acquire millennials as donors is to have them begin as volunteers and then develop a volunteer to donor action plan.