Giving Compass' Take:
- Derrick Feldmann argues that youth empowerment affects how deeply an individual believes they can create change, which has direct implications on philanthropic giving and cause engagement.
- How can communities expand programs that stretch well beyond the traditional set of public services provided to youth?
- Read our civic engagement guide for donors.
What is Giving Compass?
We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us.
I recently had the chance to lead new research on generational messaging related to voting. Our big takeaway: empowerment is key to participation, plus it also influences giving and other key types of engagement nonprofits seek from younger generations.
In Driving Voter Turnout In 2020: Research on Effective Messaging Strategies for Each Generation, the Ad Council and the nonpartisan nonprofit Democracy Works sought to uncover nuances in voting-related messaging. Together, we looked across the generations—Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen Zers—to determine which messages most effectively inspire people to vote, with an eye on 2020 and beyond.
We analyzed the effectiveness of five message “frames,” the dominant themes used by get-out-the-vote campaigns during the 2018 midterm election cycle:
- Issue: “Important issues deserve my attention.”
- Empowerment: “I matter, so my vote does, too.”
- Identity: “Proud to be a voter.”
- Companionship: “Inspired by the people around me.”
- Plan/Ease: “Logistics of voting can be a hurdle.”
Read the full article about empowering youth engagement by Derrick Feldmann at Blue Avocado.