I attended a tweetchat this week regarding ethics in the field of Public Relations. Hosted by PRSA, the discussion was lively and generated an abundance of interesting points, most of which need their own debate. Here’s the transcript:

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This presentation is from GlobalWebIndex.

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Typically, the younger audiences aren’t targeted for donations or volunteerism. Perhaps there’s an assumption that the youth don’t have money to give or that they simply don’t care. Guess again…and re-focus your campaign.

Gen-Y has become a major force in social change. They’re more active, more social, and are able to motivate themselves in ways other generations have never done. What has changed?

There are a few reasons for the shift that may explain this trend:

To begin, the poor economy has affected philanthropic donations. Consequently, there were more $5 donations than $1000 donations. In fact, single donors made up roughly 70 percent of all donations. I think it’s safe to say we can all afford $5. By making the amount affordable for every generation, there’s more potential donors.

Another increasingly useful tool is the cellphone donation. In the days where cellphones outnumber land-lines, campaigns can reach a larger audience without paying more. Gen-Y is guilty of being inseparable from their phones and use them for just about everything. Sending a quick text is easier than calling a hot-line or mailing in a check…and it’s FAST. Here are some examples of successful phone-driven campaigns:

1. American Idol – Besides encouraging viewers to vote for their favorite singer, American Idol requested their enormous audience to donate to global social issues via SMS (text) in the Idol Gives Back campaign.
2. Haiti – In the days and months after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, several organizations asked for donations of $5-$10.
3. Gulf Spill – The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has caused serious damage on multiple fronts. While measures to stop the leak continue, donations for the local residents, wildlife, and water are possible via text.

Some campaigns are ahead of the curve. Products that Gen-Y buy have enough influence to evoke some empathy and motivation. For example:

1. Concert for Haiti
2. White Castle/KFC
3. Pepsi Refresh

Finally, social media networks where Gen-Y gather can get huge groups to support a cause. Mainly, (and somewhat obviously):

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Open forums and chatrooms

It seems that the cause for the disparity between generations social participation is the significant difference in technology. Gen-Y is very technically hands-on. They share information on broad, loosely defined, networks. They are comfortable using new forms of social networking and spend a lot of time on them. All these new tools allow them to be connected 24/7, while other generations talk, get news, and spend time differently.

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