Engaging the youth!

What does it take? Whether you're on the board, on staff, or a volunteer, this is on every nonprofit's mind. And if you're looking around yourself at all, you're attempting to plan ahead. Developing support for your nonprofit means communicating. A lot.

What about making people laugh?
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=529102816568&ref=nf

Alex Brownstein made this series of videos for the 2008 YAI Brighter Futures Society Benefit. It plays upon the idea that 20-somethings are self-absorbed and uncaring about causes unless there is some tangible benefit to them personally. To some degree, speaking from personal experience, it's funny 'cause it's true. The most radical thing about nonprofit marketing is speaking the truth when no one else will.

You want urgency, but you also want to understand that most people on the internet want to be entertained, and to connect their fears (I'm doing this for the wrong reason) with humor and grace.

I know what you're thinking, "How can my <insert tremendously serious cause> be funny?" That's the challenge. Brownstein steps around this by looking at donors instead of the cause. If you can't make it funny, can you make a video that people will want to watch because it tells the radical truth, or turns convention on its head?

Try making a little video at your local cable access channel, http://pcmtv.org.

If you're like most development/marketing staff at a nonprofit, you will probably be thinking, "In what free time?" All I can say is, "It's not hard to make a 30 second video. It's easy. Make time." You may have something worth saying, but making your message striking can make it worth watching. This is how you can get in the game.