Motivating Millennials to Volunteer and Donate on Facebook
Motivating Millennials to Volunteer and Donate on Facebook COMSTRAT 561: Persuasion for Professional Communicators Washington State University Professor Jay Hmielowski May 4, 2016 Robert Robinson
Millennials are a valuable resource in the community: How can we persuade them to volunteer and donate?
Introduction and Purpose • The purpose of this Facebook Project is to compile information about how to motivate Millennials to become active in non-profit causes through volunteering and donating. • Millennials born between 1980 and 2000 are coming of age in their careers and will be a valuable asset to the community.
Opinion Paper #1: Who are the millennials and how do we persuade them to volunteer or donate? This is my first opinion paper posted on the Facebook page. The purpose is to identify who are Millennials: • They are the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in American history (Millennial Impact Report, 2015). • Born into a digital age they interact through social media, have heavy debt due to college loans, distrustful of people and in no rush to marry. • Yet they are still optimistic about the future. Technology is so pervasive in their lives it has become a means for social interaction. • Recent news articles suggest that Millennials are different in how they participate in volunteering and donating. � For example, we are finding that they are more likely than previous generations to be influenced by their peers about volunteering – so social influence is an important factor. � Seventy percent of Millennial employees spent at least an hour volunteering in 2014.
Who are the Millennials and how do we persuade them to volunteer or donate? �One characteristic that is associated with Millennials is authenticity. �They look for consistency and continuity between the real world and online representations. They like to debate, discuss and challenge. �Community service was an important role in their school experience. �An ethic of caring may be associated not only in their experience but how they view their role in the world. �We need to be direct, honest and straightforward in our communications. �We must resist the temptation to present false images or messages. �Millennials will figure it out and any persuasive
Fear Appeals and Message Structure to Persuade �The purpose of this first item is to illustrate how an ad might persuade an audience to make a donation using fear appeal and message structure. �I selected it because the message was explicit and strong. It said, “Stop, Don’t Turn the Page on Me, I don’t want to die. ” �Messages with strong fear appeals are more persuasive in changing
Fear Appeals and Message Structure to Persuade �The ad uses the order of the message to build a climax. �By having the audience “Stop” with the request it pulls in our attention. �Next there is a reference to “I need you to save my life” and “You may be my last chance, I don’t want to die. ” �Both the conclusion
Fear Appeals and Message Structure to Persuade �Millennials have a strong caring ethic so it may have an initial impact of getting them to donate and reduce feelings of guilt if they don’t. �This ad may also turn millennials away due to the extreme message of death if
Fear Appeals and Message Structure to Persuade �On the one hand you feel this fear message might cross the line as too explicit. �O’Keefe (2002) points out that this type of persuasion might go too far and the appeal might weaken in an ad like this.
Opinion Paper #2: Fear Appeals: Impact on Millennial Donations and Volunteering � I wanted to look more closely at how fear appeals might influence Millennials. � It was suggested in this opinion paper that the Protection Motivation Theory of Rogers (1975) had explanatory power in cues generated by this ad. � For example if the child’s situation is severe and they may die, Millennials might want to protect themselves from feelings of guilt by acting on the message. � If they feel this is a real situation they would want to help. If they felt their donation would make a difference they would donate. If the ad is used as a repeated appeal it may lose its effectiveness. Millennials may begin to wonder if it is more of a promotional ad rather than an authentic appeal. � One of the challenges in using fear appeal ads with millennials is determining how an ad may change attitudes, intentions or actions. � For example, a picture of a starving child an appeal that indicates the child will die without a donation would represent a strong fear appeal. � At first we might find this disturbing by the severity of the threat and the probability of it actually occurring. If a life can be saved by donating, then many would take this action. •
Opinion Paper #2: Fear Appeals: Impact on Millennial Donations and Volunteering • This explanation tends to focus more coping with the thought of the child dying as a cognitive reaction as well as an emotional reaction. � The website for Feed the Children offered many more options and information sources for individuals to consider. It is more positive and user friendly than the starving child ad. � The key in designing ads to encourage Millennials to donate is to explain the cause in ways that are motivating. � They are more interested in the authenticity of a cause rather than the organization itself (Hawthorne, 2014). � Based on this information it is suggested that an ad like this will have short-term and limited use in appealing to Millennials. Many may interpret the ad as a promotion for funds, rather than an authentic appeal for
Innoculation Theory: Influencing Receivers 12 Reasons NOT to Volunteer (and our rebuttals) 1. You don’t have enough time 2. You’re not good with kids or you have ZERO experience with them. 3. You don’t want to work with children who experience mental or physical obstacles. 4. You already volunteer for another organization. � The second item was created by Big Brothers and Big Sisters. It includes Inoculation Theory elements (O’Keefe, 2002). � The ad exposes people to excuses for not volunteering requiring them to think about them and then consider the counter arguments. � In seeking volunteers the organization observed how easy it is to make excuses. � They surveyed community members to identify the 12 most common reasons against volunteering.
Innoculation Theory: Influencing Receivers 5. You don’t think you’d be a good role model to a kid. 6. You don’t have transportation to drive children around. 7. You don’t want to be a babysitter. 8. You don’t have any money to spend on activities with children. 9. You have your own children. 10. You think you’re too old or too young. 11. You can’t volunteer every week because you work out of town, or just can’t commit to that frequency. 12. You’re worried the child won’t like you or that you won’t have anything in common. � The organization views the excuses as a threat to their sustainability. � By stating the excuse, they counter it with facts and reasoning. � For example, if presented with excuse #2: “You’re not good with kids or you have ZERO experience with them”. � This is countered by “Honestly, that’s okay. We provide modest training, your first meeting happens alongside one of our staff, and we provide a long list of cool and inexpensive things you and your Little can do. � You really don’t need any special talents to be a friend and mentor to a child; you just have to care about them. We
Innoculation Theory: Influencing Receivers � These commonly stated reasons are vulnerable to attack as many receivers may not be experienced in refuting them. � The limitation of this type of approach with Millennials is that the ad announces its topic and position on the arguments against volunteering. � This runs the risk of stimulating resistance to the persuasive arguments through counter-arguing in the mind of the audience. � If receivers are not motivated to counter argue, it is suggested that the resistance-inducing effects of the warnings about not volunteering are reduced (O’Keefe, 2002). � With Millennials the counter arguments may be unfamiliar and thereby reduce resistance to the counter-attitudinal message. This approach may be effective on a limited basis in persuading Millennials to volunteer.
The Impact of Elaboration Likelihood Model in Persuading Millennials � The next item posted was this United Way ad. This is a powerful ad with a picture of a young Millennial in the campaign theme – Live United. � The Elaboration Likelihood Model explains how the receiver’s central route of thinking is activated by stimulating a critical analysis of how to volunteer and donate (Booth. Butterfield, & Welbourne, 2002). � The theme of “How to Live United” is in bright colors. The web link indicates that volunteering time or money can serve local and national causes. � The ad begins with an appeal in red letters to open your heart, lend your muscle or find your voice by giving 10%, 100% or 110%. Or just give an hour of your time. It gives choices.
The Impact of Elaboration Likelihood Model in Persuading Millennials � The message encourages the receiver to “think of we before me. ” It is encouraging the individual to think of “we” as the greater good. � It suggests that one individual volunteer can make a difference. In effect it stimulates motivation to think about the meaning of the ad (Cacioppo, Petty & Schumann, 1983). � Finally it states, “Give, Advocate, Volunteer, Live United. ” � The key component of the United Way Campaign is the message that we are all
The Impact of Elaboration Likelihood Model in Persuading Millennials � The 2015 Millennial Impact Report observed that 77% are more likely to volunteer if they can use a skill or some expertise to benefit a cause. � They also like to support causes they are passionate about. � This ad by United Way appeals to these Millennial characteristics by associating their time, skill or monetary donations with a good cause in the local community. � The web page illustrates exactly how they can engage: a campaign well
Foot-in-the-door: Sequential Persuasion Technique This item looks at why persuading to donate 1$ is just as important as Big Fish, Little Fish asking for $1000 using the “Foot-inthe-door” technique. • You engage participants “to like you on Facebook, Tweet about their donation or sign up for a newsletter. • FUNDRAISING & � You then cultivate interest by sending CROWDFUNDING Little Fish, Big newsletters and invitations to events Fish: Why asking for $1 is just as and report positive outcomes of important as asking for $1000 donations so viewers can see the good • I selected this item because it illustrated the key points of this that is being accomplished. theory very well. � You invite supporters to events. By • Here is an example of a persuasive creating a bond between the technique that illustrates the organization and the participant, you “foot-in-the-door” approach with social media (Pratkanis, 2007). are ready to ask for more volunteers As long as a cause is meaningful or bigger donations. and authentic, the Foot-in-the� The smaller fish can turn into big fish. door model will influence millennials. The important point is that you can 1. Engage build your community and your 2. Cultivate network by engaging with smaller 3. Ask for more commitments. This technique •
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: Theory of Reasoned Action and its Appeal to Millennials �The next item was the Ice Bucket Challenge which was one of the most successful campaigns to raise money for ALS. �It appealed to Millennials because it combined the influence of social norms, social sharing through media, celebrity participation and the novelty of it. �It was fun, easy to do, demonstrated caring
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: Theory of Reasoned Action and its Appeal to Millennials � The ALS challenge had a snowball effect combining cause marketing with a social media fad. � The campaign was new and different, but will it continue or end up as a one-time donor event? The organization will need to follow-up to cultivate those connections. � Based on the Theory of Reasoned Action a number of factors are at work here (Montano, D & Kasprzyk, D. 2008). • TRA focuses on the motivational factors as determinants of the likelihood of performing a specific behavior. • With celebrities, companies and people around the country participating through social media, the ad produced favorable attitudes towards performing the behavior. By generating subjective norms everyone wanted to join in. • When pictures were posted, more people wanted to be included. Social sharing is a great motivator. • With social proof, people tend to follow and do things they see the other people doing. • The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was a good example of consensus or social proof. Individuals demonstrated perceived behavioral control by showing the ease in
Opinion Paper #3: Persuading Millennials through the Elaboration Likelihood Model and the Theory of Reasoned Action � The purpose of the third opinion paper was to bring together two of the persuasion models that appeared to have strong explanations for engaging Millennials in volunteering and donating for a cause. � I could see a pattern of characteristics that appeared to connect well with the ads as practical applications. For example, Millennials are associated with a desire to connect to a cause that they feel is authentic and they can relate to. Social media like Facebook can post pictures and videos to help viewers connect with that cause. � According to the Elaboration Likelihood model the more an ad engages the viewer with issue relevant content like the United Way ad, the greater the likelihood of involvement. The theory of Reasoned Action was able to connect with many of the elements of the ALS Ice Bucket Campaign. These two theories were particularly helpful in explaining how persuasive design can impact Millennials. � If we are to be successful fundraisers we need to understand how to communicate to this audience segment. With Millennials entering adulthood they are a valuable resource if we can understand how to connect. We know they will have the largest buying power by 2017, as there are more of them than any other generation. Finding the best
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