Rebecca Corliss
Today, I attended the New Marketing Summit and I was struck by a panel called "Millenial Marketing Moves" that featured four millenials talking about how to market to this segment. Rebecca Corliss, a marketing consultant, told everyone, "I want to change the world," shared a story about how she used social media to raise over $20,000 for Jane Doe, Inc, domestic violence victims - for Social Media for Social Change. After the session, I got an opportunity to do an interview with her.
1. Tell me about you?
I graduated from Boston University in May where I majored in Public Relations. I am now just discovering what it is like not to have to go to school. I am working as a consultant and I'm also doing work with Social Media for Social Change, a new nonprofit.
2. Tell me the story of how the organization was started
Gradon Tripp is the founder and is Boston-area blogger who very active in the Boston social media scene. I know him from tweetups. He wanted to have a tweetup to raise money for domestic violence victims, for an organization called Jane Doe. His mother was a victim of domestic violence. He wanted to do his part. He initially thought of it as a single event, a tweetup. He purchased the domain and started a blog. After he started talking about it, he got people who wanted to help. That's when I got involved. Ultimately, it got bigger than a one-time event.
I got involved because Gradon is a friend of mine. I thought it was fun. It is a feeling that I can make a difference. Be part of an exciting project that is really great. We're going to have our event in New York City. It's exciting. It's rewarding.
3. How should nonprofit to try engage Millenials like you who want to change the world?
If the way you get Millenials to interact with the nonprofit is similar to how they interact in their daily lives, then it will be successful. It's natural for us to engage with the nonprofit - then we will. For example, we'll go on Facebook and tell a friend something. We'll go on Twitter and tell our friends what is happening. The call to action is something that we're already doing in our everyday lives as a social creatures.
4. How do you observe Millenials getting interested and involved in a social action cause?
I want to say that the easiest way to inspire young people is to show how it directly effects that person. For example, the Jane Doe project - I was personally effected because I knew someone and that's how it effected me. There has to be some personal connection. My friends pick and choose their causes. I think there is a close relationship to any generation - people don't care about everything.
5. How might nonprofits inspire Millenials to take action?
Show how your cause or program impacts them or show them how good they will feel by helping your organization. We want to feel like we helped you make your goal! A pat on the back factor! College students have the opportunity to say they volunteered for an organization - it benefits them. It sounds selfish.
Our generation is brought up not to trust companies, and we are turned off by corporate gain. That message doesn't appeal to us. I think nonprofits have an easier time of getting our trust initially. But, we need to see results - we want to know how many people were helped by the organization's program. I want to know that my small donation of money or time really made a difference. Millenials want to be a hero!
6. What if a nonprofit organization started talking to you or listening to you on Twitter or another social media channel?
I think that would be awesome. It would be an honor because they cared about what I had to say. Make us feel like a superstar and make us feel inspired - make us feel like we're awesome. My twitter is @repcor
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