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requires more than just blind faith. Part and parcel of the Millennial giving process includes proof, and those organizations willing to play by Millennial rules are likely to build relationships that truly have the potential to change the world, generation after generation. Vicki Brannock is a senior director with Brandman University’s School of Extended Education. Brannock has been consultingwith nonprofit organizations for more than 15 years and serves on several nonprofit boards. At Brandman, Brannock leads the school’s nonprofit management program which helps professionals gain skills needed to lead today’s nonprofit organizations. Brandman University’s School of Extended Education focuses on individual and workforce career development for adult learners, offering degree programs, workshops, seminars, certificate programs, leadership modules and programming leading to certification and academic credit, with on-site, online and hybrid training programs for workforces across industries. Follow Vicki at Twitter.com/VickiBrannock and www.Brandman.edu/exed.

which typically involves small and deliberate actions like volunteering time or spreading the word before a monetary gift is offered. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, one of the most successful viral fundraising campaigns to date, provides the perfect case study for Millennial engagement in the 21 st century. Though they may not have participated with monetary contributions, Millennials’ craving for a connection to the world at large and their desire to be part of a greater good resulted in significantly helping spread the message and advance the mission. It has to be (Virtually) Real Call it a paradox, but Millennials prefer a personal connection to their cause of choice through the channel in which they are most familiar and comfortable: the Internet. In contrast to direct relationship development, a key component of Baby Boomer philanthropy, Millennials prefer to demonstrate support for a cause in real time and often on impulse. But skip the theatrics. The Sally Struthers starving-children approach won’t work with these wunderkinds. Genuine and authentic messages strike a real chord with these

worldly souls. Beyond personal satisfaction, Millennials want to feel and know they are making a difference—now. They’re more likely to give if they relate to a specific project through a compelling, online experience that offers them a personal challenge they can measure and track, and where amounts as small as $25 can help provide anything from clean drinking water to micro-loans for women. With the oldest members of their generation now approaching peak earning years, Millennials are breaking down old philanthropic archetypes and replacing them with new ones that are intricately intertwined with technology, collaboration and cooperation—with an emphasis on accountability. Giving is an optional act of generosity; asking for support should be genuine and transparent and one that involves both the giver and the receiver. Regardless of labels, every generation offers invaluable insight. Millennials have done more for society than introducing the “selfie.” They have pushed the boundaries of self- awareness and caused a chain reaction that

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