Young professionals rarely have large amounts of money to give to charities, but they can offer their time, energy, and ideas. Several nonprofits in the India Philanthropy Alliance, a coalition of 16 organizations, have created thriving Young Professionals Programs to harness the talent and passion of early-career professionals. If you are considering creating such a program, here are a few tips to ensure success, based on our experiences.
Create policies that define the program’s structure, but be flexible. For example, the American India Foundation created a program for U.S. professionals under the age of 40, using its New York chapter as a model. Every year, the chapters choose up to three co-leaders from among the 20 to 25 members of their leadership councils. The co-leaders chair monthly meetings of leadership councils, which oversee all events and communications.
Each chapter operates independently but must adhere to policies set out in a manual. The composition of the leadership council rotates annually, along with the co-leaders.
Chapters may take on a variety of “personalities.” One may draw mainly from the technology industry or the health-care sector and attract members mostly in their 30s, while others may be composed entirely of university students and recent graduates.
So long as chapters conform to the core policies of the organization (which should be kept fairly simple), variation is a strength, not a problem. It will enrich the loose national network that all chapters belong to.
Several hundred young professionals pay a small annual fee to participate and attend chapter events, including an annual gala.
Customize event programming and prioritize networking. Young professional events organized by Alliance member organizations usually begin with a few announcements, followed by updates on the nonprofit’s work. Then a young keynote speaker will address the gathering on a topic related to career development or the mission of the organization. Lastly, there is ample time for networking. Members are at stages of their careers and lives when meeting potential employers, mentors, and even life partners is important.
Events dedicated to young professionals can serve as a significant source of income, too. For example, the American India Foundation’s YP chapter in New York holds an annual gala that raises $70,000 to $100,000. It also serves as an opportunity to engage members; for example, they often tap their professional networks to arrange donations of food, drink, and entertainment to defray costs and ensure a more profitable event.
Provide mentoring and opportunities for growth using “blueprint projects.” Members who experience personal and professional growth through these programs are likely to remain lifelong allies. Whenever possible facilitate mentoring both within the program and by staff, senior volunteers, and board members. Designing “blueprint projects” — activities members can manage without a lot of support or supervision ― will help.
Such projects often solve secondary or tertiary organizational problems. For example, young professionals involved with the Akanksha Education Fund, the U.S. arm of the Akanksha Foundation, have served as mentors to Akanksha alumni who enroll at U.S. universities after completing their high-school education at the foundation’s schools in India.
The arrangement solves two challenges. It gives young professionals in the United States a meaningful way to actively contribute to the mission beyond making a donation. It also helps the college students adapt to U.S. culture and higher-education norms. Young professionals designed the buddy system: Students and mentors meet one-on-one every few weeks. Now this program has expanded. Dozens of students and mentors gather online each month for an informal information-sharing session. The mentors even created a manual with answers to frequently asked questions about American culture, economy, and education. They update it regularly and give it to all of the incoming alumni from India.
Due largely to the success of this program, in 2021 the Akanksha Education Fund reserved some seats on its governing board to be filled by young professional mentors and by alumni of its schools who reside in the United States.
Not ready to create a full-fledged program?
If your nonprofit wants to get young people more involved in its work but is not ready to create a full-fledged program, here are a few real-world ways that groups can strengthen ties with young supporters.
Ask youths to give and get involved. Through the Sehgal Foundation, youths as young as middle-school age have raised money among their family members, friends, and community members for special projects they help design. Some of the youths then travel to India to visit the site of their project and come back with photos and stories. These youth-designed initiatives are usually extensions of existing programs that the foundation is already running. The Sehgal team encourages young supporters to manage their efforts while in India with a large degree of autonomy, but staff members also ensure that the youngsters integrate smoothly with the needs and realities of local beneficiaries. Youth volunteers and interns have raised more than $50,000 for multiple projects, such as school rainwater harvesting, improving digital literacy, and providing benches and books for students.
Ask young people for their time — lots of it. Since 2001, several dozen U.S. professionals in their 20s have been selected annually as Banyan Impact Fellows. The fellows serve in India for 10 months, contributing time, talents, and energy to an American India Foundation program or one run by a partner nonprofit. Many alumni fellows have gone on to work or volunteer for the foundation or other organizations focused on India.
Fundraising and engaging alumni have occasionally been challenging for the organization, but recently that’s changed. A board member and spouse committed to a $5 million gift, which put the program on a more stable financial footing, and an outreach effort succeeded in prompting alumni fellows to get more involved.
Empower young people to help with your social-media outreach. Consider allowing young allies to develop social-media channels that are officially recognized by the organization (e.g., a Twitter handle or Instagram account) but managed by the youths, provided they adhere to your social-media policies. This allows young supporters to create messages that are likely to resonate with their peers. Staff members can learn from these volunteers; you may even hand over your official accounts to them on an occasional basis or ask them to manage your presence on platforms that are less familiar to your staff, such as Instagram or TikTok. The Alliance is adopting this type of approach for the first India Giving Day being held across the United States on March 2.
