Engaging Younger Generations on NFP boards

A recent study* found 62 per cent of NFP board members were aged 50 years of over. Those aged between 30 and 49 (mainly Gen X) represented 36 per cent of board members, and a mere 2 per cent were under 30 years old. That means almost an entire generation, Gen Y (those born between 1981 and 2002) are not represented on NFP boards.

In the article, Why Don’t More Members of Gens X and Y Join Boards? Emily Heard outlines some of the reasons why younger people are hesitant to join boards.  They include a reluctance of older generations to involve the younger and the general tendency of people to recruit others like themselves.

So how do you overcome this and engage younger people on NFP boards?

• Appoint a youth co-ordinator to take responsibility for young members to engage and recruit them at a volunteer level.

• Use marketing strategies to ‘speak to youth’.  Review your advertising and target publications specifically for youth such as street presses, music magazines, FM radio, internet etc.

• Let your existing members and supporters know you are actively seeking youth involvement and use them to spread the word and find people they know might be interested.

• Set up a mentoring program so that all members (young and older) can exchange knowledge and ideas.

• Adapt NFP organisation rules and procedures to accommodate younger people and instigate extra training programs.

• Give a clear outline of what is expected so they know their duties and how they can fit into the organisation.

Considering Gen Y is the second largest generational demographic (behind the Baby Boomers) it is clear there is a definite lack of age diversity on NFP boards. The benefits of attracting younger people to NFP boards are numerous and it is important the next generation of leaders are recruited now.

* BoardSource: Nonprofit Governance Index 2007