Adding Social Impact into the American Dream
In many ways, Gen Y is ushering in the age of social philanthropy. Companies used to participate in various volunteering activities, such as adopting a needy family and showering them with gifts during the holiday season. Since then, corporate social responsibility has launched in a few new directions. One is more effectively a marketing tool as organizations sponsor a nonprofit’s cause or a community event and have their logo in prime placement spots. The other direction is “citizen philanthropy” that engages citizens and employees in the cause, and Gen Y seems to be a huge champion of this effort. They want to leave a lasting, tangible legacy on an area of the world.
Dan Morrison, founder and CEO of Citizen Effect, coined this term in his Jan 2010 blog post for The Case Foundation. Morrison noted the change in philanthropic efforts that sometimes the corporations implementing large-scale efforts are not always addressing the needs of specific communities. Also, he stated that the Internet has played a huge role in the way that people connect, and many no longer want to “outsource doing good” in the world.
Speaking of technology, I heard about Citizen Effect on Twitter, of all places. Jill Foster and Geoff Livingston, two people I follow (and one I’ve met in real life) recently traveled with their team down to the Gulf Coast on a Citizen Effect project to get more information on ways to help. What they found was incredible. You can read Jill’s blog posts here and listen to her podcast here about May Yu, Citizen Effect’s project manager, talking to a forthcoming EPA official. They also tweeted about the trip and you can follow their feed by searching #citizengulf.
Citizen Effect is a new model for employers and employees to join hand-in-hand to make a lasting impact. Ultimately, Gen Y looks for great social responsibility practices from their employers and would be highly likely to volunteer to lead the projects. By building strong Gen Y leaders in social responsibility, you’re fostering skills for Gen Y to use when they are senior managers – and you have a great corporate bonding experience in the meantime.
Author side-note: If you’re in the DC area this week, it looks like the Gulf Coast team will be having an informational gathering and call to action for next steps. Follow their blog for more information.
About the Author
Amy Liz Martin is a PR professional whose work centers on social media, media relations, corporate relations, publicity and cause-related PR campaigns. Amy was a fundraiser and event communications chair for the American Cancer Society, ran small development and communications campaigns for the International Center for Journalists, and led social media publicity efforts for artists at EMI CMG Label Group. She earned her master's degree in mass communications/public relations at Louisiana State University and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.
