Young People & the League:
Where do we go from here?
LWVUS Young People’s Taskforce
In this webinar, we will:
• Discuss the successes of the LWVUS
Young People’s Taskforce (YPTF)
• Introduce our toolkit
• Suggest additional resources
• Introduce the Young People Board
Advisors for 2014-2016
• Answer your questions
More about the YPTF
Young People’s Taskforce
▫ Began work in 2012 with 5 members
▫ Goal to create toolkit to help Leagues recruit and
retain young people
More about the YPTF
Where we got our information
▫ Literature review of social science
research
▫ Polls/questionnaires of young
members
▫ Interviews with League Leaders at
all levels
▫ Interviews with volunteer-based
organizations
▫ Our own experiences
Why we need young people to join us
• We need to strengthen our organization for the
future.
• Young people share the same concerns as other
League members.
Why we need young people to join us
• Success is more than just numbers.
▫ Adapting a sustainable approach to
membership recruitment
▫ Similar to the approach of the
Membership and Leadership
Development (MLD) program
Defining ‘Young People’
YPTF Toolkit zeroed in on two generations:
▫ Generation X – born 1963-1980.
▫ Millennials – born 1981-2002
More about GenX
Generation X – born 1963-1980.
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Independent
Self-reliant
Independent thinking
Work-life balance
LWV offers GenXers:
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Time, 1997
Leadership development,
Networking,
Civic education
Work experience
Source: Peter C. Brinkerhoff, Generations: The Challenge of a Lifetime for Your Nonprofit
More about Millennials
Millennials – born 1981-2002
 Confident
 Interested in work-life balance
 Connected to the Internet
 Strong sense of social commitment
▫ LWV offers Millennials
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Time, 2013
Volunteer opportunities
Engaging in civic activities
Networking
Will join if other young people participate.
If LWV can tune into their social needs, they have a lot to
offer & are eager to help their communities
Source: Peter C. Brinkerhoff, Generations: The Challenge of a Lifetime for Your Nonprofit
GenX and Millennials
These two groups of young people,
numbering over 120 million, are
America’s future leaders
GenX, Millennials and LWV
Both generations are:
▫ Looking for ways to stand out among their peers, contribute
to society and continue to grow personally and professionally
▫ Unaware of the League
 Their mothers/grandmothers were mostly likely not League members
 Branding is necessary for awareness
▫ Will see their League involvement as career skill-building
opportunity
We already appeal to young people!
• League members share networking, community
bonding, and camaraderie.
• Many young people desire to connect and grow in
a way that promotes friendship and belonging.
Remember! What made you join and remain a member
will likely be a similar reason why a young person today
will join and stay with us
Photo by League of Women Voters
Hamden/North Haven
YPTF resources for you
• Our webinars:
▫ Reaching Out to Millennials on Campus
▫ Interning with the League
▫ Mentoring in the League
• Our toolkit: “Building the League of Tomorrow:
Growing our ranks with younger members”
▫ Includes a bibliography of additional resources on
working with young volunteers
• LWV Young Professionals Facebook Group
• Young Professionals’ Section on the LWVUS Forums
Next Steps:
Young People Board Advisors
• To keep the momentum going from the Young
People’s Taskforce, LWVUS has appointed two
Young People Board Advisors (YPBA)
Amy Baker
Minneapolis, MN
Melissa Hunsberger
Miami-Dade County,
FL
Goal of YPBA program
To increase League membership
among young people and foster
them to become League leaders.
Goals of YPBA program
• How are we going to do that?
▫ ID ways to ways to attract young people, especially around
our efforts with the 2016 election.
▫ Increase YP participation at 2016 convention.
▫ Promote the recruitment and mentoring of young leaders
within MLD program.
▫ Plan for ways to use the League’s 100th birthday to recruit
and retain new generations of members and leaders.
Activities of YPBA program
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Work with LWVUS Board Member Liaison
Work with LWVUS Staff on Young People Issues
Leverage the use of MLD program
Keep dialogue going with League members
across the country on how to:
▫ Recruit young people
▫ Keep younger members engaged
▫ Grow younger members into leadership roles
Discussion and Questions
Questions, comments, and suggestions
Contact info
Shauneen Grout, LWVUS staff; Sgrout@lwv.org
Amy Baker, YPBA 2014-2016; bakeramy81@gmail.com
Melissa Hunsberger, YPBA 2014-2016; hunsbergerm@gmail.com
Melissa Currence, YPTF co-chair; currencem@gmail.com
Amy Hjerstedt, YPTF co-chair; Amy.hjerstedt@gmail.com