Charities and nonprofits often consider adults with a stable income as their primary fundraising demographic but should not forget the generations that follow. While young adults, particularly college and university students, may have restrictive budgets, they are a crucial force in generating awareness for a cause and in its future.

Engaging young adults in your charity does not necessarily entail a complicated “ask” nor require donations. In fact, the best way to involve this group is by creating a connection with them and your brand. Over time, this association will drive them to donate and/or fundraise in support of your organization.

Here are a few quick tips to attract and engage this group.

1. Pull at the heartstrings.

With websites such as Thought Catalog and Upworthy gaining popularity, it’s increasingly apparent that the younger generation are associating themselves with “feel good” content. These sites showcase content that this group can relate to and provoke happy and sad emotions in order to create change. Titles such as Listen to this Beautiful Story about a Little Girl with a Fatal Disease, or This Man Couldn’t Speak to His Daughter for 20 Years, until X Charity Came Along, pull at viewers’ heartstrings and encourage them to see beyond the monetary value of a donation and understand the practical applications of funds received.

2. Keep it relevant.

Social media is the world’s biggest communications platform and what group knows how to use the many platforms available better than Generation Y? From Instagram selfies to Facebook click-bait, this is where young adults thrive. In order to keep them engaged with your brand, your content must be relevant to them. Me to We is a great example of an “innovative social enterprise” that focuses on charity, but does so much more than that. It uses social media to convey information: to recruit young ambassadors, inform them of concerts that are being hosted where celebrities attend, provide a platform to shop for products that can “change the world,” and acts as a resource regarding the latest online trends. Young adults are extremely invested in Me to We because they can relate to it on a level deeper than just fundraising, making them passionate about charitable involvement.

3. Interactive approaches.

Being interactive with your audience is key to a successful campaign – it serves to build a relationship between your charity and your stakeholders. Instead of asking a young adult for a donation, consider creating a social media campaign/challenge where they can participate on their own terms. For example, leading up to a fundraising race, ask followers to post an Instagram of them #training. This spreads the word to their friends about their involvement in your cause while also promoting your campaign, helping to generate interest and subsequent funds, and creating a community around the cause. You can also entice this group to create a personalized challenge/campaign as a summer initiative and offer the ‘best’ summer event a prize!

4. Volunteer opportunities and travel.

Many students long for a life-changing trip at some point before they settle down and get a fulltime job. This could be easily offered in the form of a charity initiative. Whether it is travelling across the globe to teach underprivileged students, or travelling to a different city to rebuild a neighborhood, these trips offer young adults the opportunity to make friends and make a difference. Associating a sense of personal advancement and active engagement with your charity’s brand is extremely valuable for their ongoing commitment.

Does your charity need assistance to effectively communicate and reach your target audience? Contact info@zenergycom.com, we are happy to help. Zenergy Communications also offers support to charitable organization through its charitable arm, ZenergyCause. For more details, visit www.zenergycom.com/en/zenergycause.