Discover effective strategies to engage Gen Z volunteers. Understand their motivations, debunk misconceptions, and modernise your nonprofit organisation.
As time goes on, every volunteering organisation has to consider how different generations’ needs will shape and influence their missions and strategies, and Generation Z is no exception.
Despite having 86% less purchasing power than baby boomers did at their age, Gen Zers made an average of 5.3 donations in 2022, surpassing both millennials and Generation X. And with 63% volunteering, they have also exceeded older generations, according to one survey.
However, it’s also clear that some nonprofit organisations are struggling to successfully engage and recruit Gen Z, which seems counterintuitive, given their elevated willingness to offer support.
We’d like to provide some context. Let’s break down how you can help a young person find the right volunteering opportunities and causes they’re looking for while making a positive impact.
While there’s no denying that Gen Z by and large shares different values and worldviews, it’s important to keep in mind that, like any other generation, it’s not one homogenous group. For starters, that means simply appreciating where they are in their own journey.
Many boomers will already look back on fulfilling job responsibilities, whereas a significant portion of Gen Z is just starting their careers. It’s no surprise, then, that 58% of baby boomer respondents are motivated by engaging work, compared to 44% of Gen Z, while 51% of Gen Z seek a learning opportunity, compared to 17% of boomers.
And because they’re still searching for volunteering projects with growth opportunities, they’ll also seek higher amounts of affirmation and feedback than other generations. For your nonprofit organisation, that means you’ll have to slightly adjust your engagement and recruitment strategies for Gen Z. While millennials and Gen X may be motivated by a sense of community and meaningful experiences, the scale tips toward career skills and flexibility for younger generations.
Our own research shows similar trends, suggesting that yearly volunteer work, career benefits and flexibility might help accommodate Gen Z’s transitional life stage.
Before you think you have to restructure your entire organisation, it’s crucial not to fall for the stereotype of the hard-to-motivate younger generation that’s glued to their screens. While digital strategies are important to Gen Zers, they’re also very much willing to volunteer their time. In fact, 94% of Gen Z respondents in a recent survey said they’d consider volunteering.
A successful recruitment strategy tailored to Gen Z should simply appreciate where they are in life and what they expect out of a commitment like volunteering. For some organisations, that might translate to implementing their digital-first recruitment strategy; for others, it might just mean adjusting their messaging for different audiences.
While some of the reports cited above also suggest higher burnout rates among Gen Z, it would be premature to equate that to a lack of commitment or self-centeredness. For the same reasons mentioned above, some organisations will notice that they need to slightly shift their messaging or more thoroughly document their impact to attract younger volunteers.
For instance, it’s understandable that Gen Zers tend to care more about issues like climate change or refugee crises. After all, their future will largely be shaped by today's political decisions.
And, considering the lasting effects of the pandemic, especially on younger generations, it’s not surprising that over half of Gen Zers are still worried about their own financial situation due to recessions or the rise of artificial intelligence, which also correlates to higher numbers of mental health issues.
So, for nonprofits, it’s important to empathise with those issues and recognise that many Gen Zers spent their formative years in isolation during lockdown. As a result, a tentative approach to your cause may not stem from skepticism. They might be evaluating whether your volunteers understand their struggles, whether you can support them, or whether you understand them even though they didn't get an opportunity to develop the communication skills you might expect.
Gen Z’s global-minded activism certainly serves a broad range of causes. However, the fact that 77.5% of freshmen consider helping others important, while volunteerism among college students remains stagnant in many cases, indicates that there’s more to it than pure will.
You need to create a welcoming environment with flexible opportunities where volunteers can learn about themselves and grow as individuals. This way, you can more easily bridge the gap between your own cause and the shifting preferences of Gen Z.
As we saw, Gen Z is not looking for anything entirely new, and given it’s not a homogenous group, modifying your strategy alone won’t guarantee higher volunteer engagement across the board. Attracting younger volunteers shouldn’t supersede your core mission or the engagement of older generations. However, ignoring demographic differences and the slow shift in cultural values will ultimately hurt your organisation’s success.
So, let’s explore some ways to improve your chances of engaging Gen Z.
You may already be following some of these strategies, whereas others may require you to modernise your program. This shouldn’t alarm you or older volunteers. While younger generations will approach your mission differently, that doesn’t mean you have to disregard everything you’ve done.
A strong mission statement will survive every generational shift, and once you’ve engaged more Gen Zers, you’ll notice how the cross-generational exchange rejuvenates your entire volunteer base.
Engaging Gen Z is crucial to future-proof your mission’s success, but it shouldn’t be another task to check-off your to-do list. Rather, think of it as your organisation taking in a breath of fresh air or adopting a new stride.
It’s not necessary to change who you are or who you’d like to serve, but there’s no doubt that engaging younger generations will help you do so for years to come. With tools like Rosterfy, you can streamline the entire process while also saving time for even the most experienced volunteers.
Book a demo now and see how Rosterfy can help you engage young audiences and streamline volunteer management.
Rosterfy is used by nonprofits, charities, sporting federations, local governments, and more to better manage their volunteer programs by improving how they can recruit, screen, train, and retain volunteers.
Our market leading technology helps you create an engaging experience throughout the whole lifecycle of your volunteer journey.
Book a call today.
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