By Stephen Alexander, Exponent Philanthropy

Join me to explore the values and visions of emerging leaders of a social-minded generation. Below is an excerpt of my recent conversation with Ebonie Johnson Cooper, Chief Millennial Officer at Friends of Ebonie, freelance writer, and professional coach.                                                      

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on an online education and training initiative called the Young, Black & Giving Back Institute. My work with the Changing the Face of Philanthropy Summit helped me understand how vital education and training is for young professionals. The recent events in Ferguson, MO helped me realize how quickly millennials can galvanize around a cause yet struggle to define desired outcomes or next steps. Education and training around civic leadership, social justice, and advocacy is clearly needed, particularly for young, black millennials. This program is designed to do just that. While the target audience is young, black millennials, these programs are open to anyone.

I’m also starting to coach young philanthropists. I believe having a guide with expertise in millennials’ unique style of giving is really valuable. I receive so many emails from people interested in fundraising projects or volunteering, but they’re not sure how or where to begin. Through coaching, I’ll assist individuals in mapping out an approach based on their values, passions, and interests.

What are you most passionate about?

I’m passionate about how my generation applies our potential. One of the challenges we often run into is getting to action. For example, let’s think about the situation in Ferguson. Plenty of people showed up to show their support. People were able to connect with one another easily through social media. But then what? What were the desired outcomes from that gathering? And who was the point of contact or group of people that they should engage in order to achieve those outcomes? I believe we’ll accomplish some exciting things once we figure out exactly how to overcome obstacles like this. 

What do you believe you and your generation bring to the table?

Our passion, our initiative to get things done, and a fresh perspective to a lot of issues. We approach things so much differently than anyone else. We bring passion to the table, and that’s what makes the difference in a board room. We’re not afraid to express ourselves. If there is a problem or opportunity, we’ll work hard to figure out at a solution.

Why is it important for people to hear from millennials, particularly in philanthropy?

When thinking about organizational sustainability, millennials are a group your organization should be getting involved with now. It’s the most racially mixed generation to date so it’s imperative that organizations learn how to engage well with black and brown faces. They will be your volunteers, donors, and advocates going forward.

In the United States, people tend to sit on one side of the fence or the other on race relations because we aren’t having meaningful conversations about how we can work together. Black millennials are as much a part of the generation as anyone else. We have a particular way we want to be engaged and people should know about it. Like any group, how we relate to issues is different than other people. 

In your opinion, what are some of the steps we can take to bring about more inclusion?

Conversation is the first step. We need to start relying less on our assumptions and more on different perspectives, whether it’s a difference in careers, where you live, race, gender, sexuality, or age. There’s value in having a number of perspectives at the table, especially when you want to engage or get to know those that are different than you. Relying on different perspectives will help you move toward change.

A second step is collaboration. No matter your cause, you should be thinking about ways to collaborate with organizations that work with or serve those people you want to engage. For example, if young professionals are your target audience, reach out to a chapter of the National Urban League or the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. Find an organization or network that is interested in your issue. Then, put your heads together to brainstorm the types of joint projects both organizations could benefit from while increasing inclusion.

Related resources

Will Black Millennials Be The Next Wave Of Philanthropists? (The Huffington Post)

African American millennials seek to define ‘young, black philanthropy’ (The Washington Post)

Program Manager Stephen Alexander designs sessions for our educational programs and coordinates content production with the goal of delivering the best service possible to the Exponent Philanthropy community. Before coming to Exponent Philanthropy, Stephen worked with Thomson Reuters, Jones Lang LaSalle, and two small nonprofits in Washington, DC. Stephen currently serves on the board of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network’s DC chapter. Follow Stephen on Twitter @salxndr and Exponent Philanthropy @exponentphil.