Guest Author: Mark Athitakis, Associations Now
Gen Y is grown up now, and looking for legitimate leadership roles to match. That means casting off some assumptions about what they need, and perhaps how you manage your volunteer structure.
With the unemployment rate low, this can be a tough time for associations and nonprofits to sell themselves as appealing workplaces, especially for millennials. The pay and perks are often lower, as is prestige.
But not all is lost, a recent study suggests. “Millennials + Work” [PDF], produced by the strategy firm Department26, includes a number of findings that speak directly to what makes the nonprofit space attractive. Millennials, often disappointed by bad early jobs and high college debt, are looking for places where they can believe in a mission: 44 percent of respondents say their top priority in a new job is “being in a role they’re passionate about,” edging out “salary” at 42 percent.
