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Millennials want to do good. A recent poll revealed that the under-30 crowd feel people have a “very important obligation” to volunteer—and they’re just as engaged in philanthropic activities as their elders. According to the findings of the 2014 Millennial Impact Report, a company’s involvement with causes influenced 55% of young people’s decisions to accept a job.
Arielle Patrick coaches Millennials in integrating philanthropy into their careers. (Photo by... [+]
Arielle Patrick, a Director in the Corporate Crisis & Issues Management division at global PR agency Weber Shandwick, is passionate about helping Millennials engage in philanthropy. At age 27, she practices what she preaches. In addition to working her 9-to-5 job, she sits on the board of the Yellowstone Park Foundation; is Chair of the National Audubon Society's New York Young Members; serves on the Young Patrons Leadership Committee for the American Friends of the Louvre museum in Paris; and is an active member of The New York Junior League. In addition, she has hosted fundraisers for numerous other 501(c)3 organizations.
Patric and members of the Yellowstone Park Foundation Young Board of Directors at the annual board... [+]
Although she focuses most of her efforts on engaging people with jobs at for-profit companies in volunteer efforts, Patrick also helps Millennials find employment at non-profits. For example, Patrick coached one young woman, Sarah, who was miserable working in the corporate world to transition into a career at an environmental NGO. Patrick helped Sarah tap into her life purpose of making a positive impact on the world, introduced Sarah to people working in the public sector, and then assisted Sarah in rewriting her resume.
Patrick offers these tips for young people eager to make philanthropy a priority, even while working full-time at demanding corporate jobs.
- Consider “giving back” a duty, not an option.
“I live by the axiom, ‘To whom much is given, much is required,’” said Patrick. Since she was a child, she watched her mother improve people’s lives through her job in healthcare, and witnessed her father balance a demanding career in television with service on charity boards. “My peers find it unfathomable that I spend so many hours in the office advising Fortune 500 clients and still have the energy to serve on boards. But I don’t even think twice about it. It’s simply what I’m programmed to do.”
Patrick added that we now live in an age dominated by social media. Many Millennials think that “raising awareness” of an issue by communicating explosive emotions like fear or anger via Facebook or Twitter is sufficient. “To me, it’s not,” she said. “Our predecessors achieved change through action. I always encourage those I mentor to consider a donation to a cause or time spent volunteering as part of their responsibility as a citizen, rather than an additional expense or extracurricular activity. ”
- View philanthropy as an asset to your career, and vice versa.
“With all the issues our world is battling, it’s easy to feel that your expertise is too narrow, or that you’re ill-equipped to enact significant change,” Patrick said. But she offered this example. Patrick mentored a recent college grad who works in the tech space, Lin. She was having trouble figuring out where and how she could make an impact. Patrick told Lin to take a step back and write down a tiered list of her skills. Now, Lin is happily tutoring kids in computer science at a charter school on weekends.
Some of the savviest, most talented people are currently working in the corporate world. Non-profits need diverse corporate talent to support their smaller and often overwhelmed staff, Patrick explained. Advising an organization on something as specific as accounting or social media strategy has the potential to completely change the game and help them run more efficiently. “You don’t have to be out in the field saving lives to be significant to a cause,” Patrick explained.
In addition, Patrick reminds people that being affiliated with a cause can also help you advance in your primary career. “You wouldn’t believe how many of the relationships I’ve built in my philanthropic life have led to career networking opportunities in my professional life,” she said.
Patrick at a fundraising event she organized for Autism Speaks. (Courtesy of Austim Speaks)
- Create the time to do good.
Patrick is no stranger to long days and late nights at the office, yet she always manages to spend several hours each week on philanthropic projects. “I am the kind of person who works around the clock, so the way to relax and recharge is sometimes to switch my focus,” she said. “Brainstorming for a non-profit or exercising my brain in a different way energizes me. I will make it my mission to come up with at least three new ideas a day, even when I’m on the run. My main word of advice: Always have a notepad handy for commutes and free moments. You’d be surprised how much crosses your mind that can be jotted down.”
- Do your due diligence.
During her senior year at Princeton, while writing her thesis, Patrick spent a significant amount of time and resources planning a huge charity fundraiser for an organization that no longer exists five years later. She said, “It was heartbreaking because the charity was rooted in an incredible human rights cause. But when I look back, I can see that the non-profit had a fluid board structure and disorganized working culture. I should have seen the writing on the wall. While I don’t regret one minute of the experience, I did learn from it.”
Patrick urges Millennials to always take a look at the leadership structure and funding capacity of organizations to determine their viability and longevity. “Before you commit countless hours or dollars, make sure that your efforts are going to the right place. Treat ‘shopping’ for a non-profit the way you would a job search. Don’t focus solely on the mission statement. Do your research.”
- Don’t feel pressured to pick just one cause.
“Another quote I love is from my family’s Methodist faith, often used by Hillary Clinton: ‘Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can,’” Patrick said.
It’s important for Millennials to realize that they can harness their best talents to make an impact wherever and however it is needed. “While you’re still growing and learning, your contribution doesn’t need to be in one specific area. You don’t need to ‘stand for’ one cause just yet,” Patrick explained. As a communications strategist on financial issues, she quickly learned that harnessing her PR and marketing skills to help charities raise money came intuitively for her.
“Millennials have diverse interests,” Patrick said. “They are not automatically dedicated to a particular cause like their parents, who may have supported a given charity year-after-year simply because of tradition. For today’s young people, it is especially important to have an emotional tie to a cause, especially the leaders behind it.” She recommends finding a cause, or two or three, that engages you emotionally and getting involved. But if it doesn’t work out, try something else. Eventually, you’ll figure out what best gets your energy flowing and how you can have the most positive impact.
