Young people are making your jobs harder

It’s one thing to want to draw in a younger demographic to your credit union – it’s up to you to actually do something about it. Here are seven things this industry, and the entire cooperative movement, needs to think about when it comes to being relevant to young people. 

• “Young people suck…” They suck because they make it so hard for you to get them care. If you truly are interested in finding the next generation of leaders for your organizations – today’s young people are about to make all of your jobs harder. They expect you to have a positive impact on society, to be good stewards of the planet, to fight against inequality, to give them a voice and a seat at the table. Today’s young people want to work at, and give their money to innovative companies that are good for society. Good news for co-ops, right? Maybe. You have about 7 seconds to prove all that before they move on to the next thing that’s begging for their attention.
• “Hire smart.” If you want to reach young people, start by hiring really talented thinkers and doers that understand this generation, can foster an innovative work environment, and know how to communicate your impact on a larger scale. Your organization is a business and has money. If you say it’s a priority, act like it’s a priority!
• “Young people are not alien people to fear.” Even though they don’t make it easy on you, they are not so different than any generation before. Their core human values are the same as yours. What’s different is the world where they grew up—social media, peer review sites and crowd funding changed everything about the way young people communicate, connect, influence, learn, give, purchase, and behave.
• “If you’re not here, you’re irrelevant!” The smartphone changed the game. We now have instant access to a vast amount of information at every moment. We are connected to each other 24/7; we are constantly sharing thoughts, feedback, ideas, concerns, cares and interests with each other and the businesses we use.
• “We have the power to be huge ambassadors of the businesses we believe in.”  Social media lets us have an audience as big as some of the largest stages in the world. In fact, some of the largest companies in the world don’t have as many people listening to them as some of our individual networks.
• “For me it all comes back to relevance and resonance.” I have done a lot in my personal and professional life to support, promote and ensure the success of cooperative businesses. When I reflect on why I’m impassioned and motivated to spend so much energy on these efforts, it’s directly related to the tangible and relevant good I see happening in my community because of the existence of these businesses and how that good resonates through my entire world. Your co-op can have a huge impact on young people if your message is delivered right.
• “Do something to make us care!” Young people who care about what you do are out there. They just might not know they care about you yet. Talk to them where they are. Talk to them about what they care about. And please do it quick…do you know how many cat memes I might be missing right now?!