News

Millennials & Corporate Partners: What Nonprofit Leaders Need to Know (Derrick Feldmann)

July 2020

How do you get the millennial generation to engage in your nonprofit's cause?  That's just the first question Derrick Feldmann and I explored during our conversation on episode #47 of the Path Podcast.  Perhaps there is no one more qualified to answer that question, given his research has focused on the millennial generation for over a decade.  While Derrick provided a fascinating look at that demographic, we were also able to follow his research journey into two other specialty areas as well.  His work around Social Movements for Good explored what makes some causes not only go viral, but truly engage their constituencies.  Finally, we delved into the findings published in his latest book, The Corporate Social Mind, which provides invaluable insight about what companies are looking for in their nonprofit and community partnerships.  All of these topics certainly should be ingrained in the minds of nonprofit leaders as they strengthen their organizations as well as engage critical support from community and corporate leaders.  Not only are Derrick's books ones to add to your collection, but he also suggests several others to add to your wish list!


"We win when the donor says not that we do good work, but when they say they got the resources to talk to others and get them involved."

ABOUT DERRICK

Derrick Feldmann is a sought-after speaker, researcher and advisor for causes and companies on social movements and issue engagement and is the author of three books, Social Movements For Good: How Companies and Causes Create Viral Change and Cause for Change: The Why and How of Nonprofit Millennial Engagement and The Corporate Social Mind. He has been recognized as a leading researcher in cause engagement for more than a decade and his work is regularly cited by such outlets as Forbes, Fast Company and The Wall Street Journal and as a reliable source of data on today's cause engagement. During the prior 10 years, he led the research team for the Millennial Impact Project, producing the comprehensive Millennial Impact Reports on how the generation has engaged with causes from varying perspectives. Derrick currently splits his time between INFLUENCE|SG, and the Ad Council. Derrick is the Managing Director of INFLUENCE|SG a movement design studio working with leading brands and causes to research, ideate and test new movement approaches and the Managing Director of Ad Council Edge, the Ad Council's strategic consulting division that advises during the formative stages of public engagement programs. 

 

EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES