Introduction
The article by Fandos (2016) depicts how the general world and more specifically the world of charity is mutating as the millennials continue to impact it. The article defines the millennials group to be the generation born between 1980 and the year 2000 and also indicates that this generation is gradually rising to be the largest segment of the global populace. It focuses on two charitable organizations; Watsi and Pencils of Promise (Fandos, 2016). Each of the two organizations provides a different perspective on the concept of millennial charity. Over and above the two article, the author also uses available research to elaborate the rationale behind the concepts of charity as reflected in the articles. A careful analysis of the article reveals that millennials prefer to give to charitable causes as opposed to charitable organizations.
Overview of the Article
Watsi Perspective
The article opens with an evaluation of how a charity organization or rather lobby group called Watsi came into being. The founder, Chase Adam noticed a lady who was very successful in asking for money from well-wishers for her son’s medical bills (Fandos, 2016). Adam realized that the primary reason for the lady’s success was that she was able to create a connection between the well-wishers and her son through some medical documents that she carried with her. It is upon this realization that Watsi was established and also why the organization has been exponentially successful. The modus operandi of Watsi entails creating an avenue for those donating funds to interact with those benefiting from it. For example, if people are giving for a medical fund, Watsi avails pictures of the patient, details of the medical condition, and timelines for treatment (Fandos, 2016). Watsi will then be sure to update the donors on the outcome of the treatment.
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The Pencils of Promise Perspective
The article also gives a glimpse of how another organization, dubbed the Pencils of Promise carry out it's lobbying for charitable funds. As per the article, Pencils of Promise organizes its quest for funds in the same way that a profitable organization organizes its marketing scheme (Fandos, 2016). Towards this end, the organization carefully maps out the target for its marketing, mainly the millennial groups then develop a strategy to get information about its charitable causes in the same way that a company reaches it to its target market. Pencils of Promise also works with many millennial volunteers who, having understood the causes that the organization is pursuing, offer to conduct marketing for and on its behalf (Fandos, 2016). It is specifically because of its marketing drive that Pencils of Promise has been successful and has envisaged major successes in the future.
The analysis in the Article
Over and above the two organization, the article also seeks to enlighten the reader on why millennial charity differs from the traditional charity. The statement “ Millennials expect transparency, sophisticated storytelling and technical savvy from their charitable organizations ” (Fandos, 2016) provides an apt summary of the analysis given in the article. For a start, millennials want to be sure that the money they give for a certain cause is only used for the particular cause for which they gave. The money must also be used efficiently and effectively (Fandos, 2016). Secondly, millennials want to understand particulars without having to struggle or get bored in the process. It is for this reason that charity organizations have to come up with a narrative that is almost entertaining yet based on the sad stories that are expected in charity. Further, millennials prefer the use of technology, more so for the presentation of multimedia content that will enable a better understanding of the causes.
Proposal of Rationale for the Article
The instant article combines two major pertinent issues; charity and millennial preferences. For a start, the modern world has seen the increasing abuse of charitable causes. Monies raised for charity have been seen to be misappropriated and used for personal enrichment or even given out to negative causes such as terrorism (Silver, 2018). Because of these vices, people have lost confidence in charitable organizations with many declining to give to charitable causes at all. The second issue relates to the millennials, a generation that is very keen on social justice and doing the right thing. The millennials do not want to see good money wasted on wrong causes, neither do they want to see good causes lacking funding. As the article argues, charity organizations that are not willing to show the millennials that their donation is going to a good cause will eventually miss out on millennial donations. Conversely, organizations that are able to interact properly with the millennials and also engender high levels of transparency will see a new charitable boom (Fandos, 2016).
Conclusion
Charity is an important issue in the community, based both on the need for charity to assist the needy and the need to protect the cause itself from unscrupulous industry players. The instant article delves into how charity can continue to thrive in a world that is gradually being dominated by the millennial organizations. The three main suggestions made include having the donors interact with the cause and not the organization, investing in proper marketing for charitable causes, and finally embracing transparency. As advised in the article, adhering to these three principles will see charity organizations emulate the success of Watsi and Pencils of Promise. Conversely failure to embrace the same will see charity causes miss out on donations from millennials.
References
Fandos, N. (2016, November 03). Connections to a cause: The millennial way of charity. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/06/giving/connections-to-a-cause-the-millennial-way-of-charity.html
Silver, N. (2018). Regulating the foreign activities of charities: A comparative perspective. Report for the Pemsel Case Foundation, 2017, Sydney Law School Research Paper No. 18/06
