Drawing the curtain on Chapter Two
Faster than a TikTok dance craze, we've come to the end of our newsletter series! In an exciting two prior weeks, our Zoomers have been busy sharing their thoughts, opinions and ideas on not just War Veterans as a cause but specifically on you: The Royal British Legion
They've taken a detailed look into some of your materials and shared what drives them to engage across volunteering, donating, fundraising and campaigning. Not only that, but we've also asked them to unpick the key moments in their life for charities to best approach them to capture their support.
So, swipe (or scroll) down to get stuck into a snapshot of what they told us!
They love your work!
Not only do our Zoomers have a huge amount of respect and appreciation for what you do as an organisation, they're also extremely buoyed by the fact that you're engaging with them specifically as an audience - as they can feel a bit neglected when it comes to charities:
"When I think about the RBL, I think of the poppy appeal, which has become a large part of society. I have frequently seen volunteers around London and some even talking in our school about it as well. I would love to one day help the RBL through things like volunteering and fundraising."
"I think involving a team of young people is beneficial because it offers a different perspective."
Their Key Piece of Advice? Social Media, and ensure Mental Health is in the conversation.
They were consistent in their belief that The Royal British Legion could make greater use of social media - it's where they're hanging out and having their most interactions! Alongside that, placing an emphasis on mental health struggles is particularly pertinent for Gen Z and their causes:
"They should utilize social media as that is the best way to target people my age as everyone is using it."
"My one piece of advice would be to prioritise mental health and to do everything possible to make the military work with them on the welfare side of things."
Welcome to Quick Wins:
In this section, we highlight a sample of quick and actionable tactics that could help to drive engagement with our Zoomers, whether it be across Fundraising, Donating, Volunteering or Campaigning. These are all based on the specific ways you've spoken about these critical areas in your materials, so let's dive in!
Fundraising & Donating: Modern, varied, proven ways to have impact
Volunteering: Inclusivity is driven by variety
Campaigning: Appeals to authority, community & positive language are all persuasive
Put it to a Vote!
As we know (very well!) there are many different ways of supporting a charity. But we wanted to explore what determines the type of support Zoomers want to give.
We did this by asking our Zoomers to tell us if they agree or disagree with 3 key statements to get them to pin their colours to the mast.
Statement A: "It's all about the time in your life. When I've got money one day, I'll donate money regularly. If I've got more free time, I'll volunteer. It's kind of a life-stage thing."
Statement B: "It's about the kind of person you are. If I like socialising or I like the idea of being part of something, I'll volunteer or campaign. Or I might be the kind of person who just wants to give money as that's easiest. It's a personality thing."
Statement C: "Once you've supported a charity in one way, it's easier to support in another way. If I've raised money for a charity once, it's easier to convince me to campaign for them another time."
Scroll down to see how the War Veterans cause collective voted, why they felt the way they did, alongside what it means for you!
Finally, we asked Gen Z to pull out their AI-predicting digital crystal ball and cast their eyes into their own futures to take a stab at how their relationships with your charity might evolve. They see lifestage as being a particularly important influence on when and how they'd be likely to get involved:
"As I get older, and become more financially and personally independent, I would like to be able to become more involved in donating and money, volunteering and campaigning in particular. I think once I have my own home and established job, I will feel more financially comfortable and be able to be more generous. I think when I have a family I will feel a greater amount of independence, and want to get involved more."
How might we encourage ongoing support over a lifetime?
Zoomers often perceive their likely contributions to initially be giving a little, every now and then. But in the moment, this can feel as though it lacks significance, and support can lose momentum.
Imagine a world where this audience could build a ‘Supporter Profile’ to keep a record of these seemingly small efforts over their 20s, 30s and 40s. Wouldn’t it be great if we could help them track their impact by showing the progress of their commitments throughout a lifetime. So when they feel capable of giving more time, money or effort (possibly before the age of 50!), they have an established track record to fall back on, and crucially are ‘bought’ into your cause.
For now - explore meaningful ways you can help Zoomers track their impact that’s also feasible for your organisation to manage.