3 Reasons Why Fundraisers Should Attend MCON14

On June 18th, 300 attendees and dozens of expert speakers will gather in Chicago for MCON14, the premiere conference dedicated to cause and millennial engagement. While not specifically geared towards nonprofits, the event does focus on three topics that are essential to fundraising success: culture, relationships and movements. Here are three reasons why fundraisers should attend MCON14.

1. Millennials are kind of important to fundraising

If you’re ignoring Generation Y, or the 18-30’ish age bracket, you could be missing out on a large pool of donors, stewards and volunteers.

Though they’re often criticized for being self-absorbed, millennials actually wield and exercise a lot of giving power. According to the 2013 Millennial Impact Report, 83% of millennials had made a financial gift to an organization in 2012, and 52% of Millennials were interested in “monthly giving.” Perhaps more important than their frequency of giving is their influence online:

At MCON, you’ll learn what makes this group tick and how to best engage them. Staying on top of these trends is of the utmost importance, especially when you consider that there is another tech-savvy generation lining up right behind the millennials.

2. The speakers are pretty stellar

MCON has actively recruited out-of-the-box thinkers, entrepreneurs and philanthropists who enact social change without necessarily operating within the third sector. You can be sure that the stories and lessons you will hear have never before been heard inside the nonprofit conference echo chamber.

A few of the speakers include:

• Laura Callanan, a Scholar in Residence at the University of California Berkeley/Haas Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership. Laura will discuss how companies can redefine culture in order to build stronger businesses.

• Jean Case, an actively engaged philanthropist and CEO of the Case Foundation, which she co-founded with her husband, Steve, to invest in people and ideas that can change the world.

• Jake Brewer, leader of the external affairs team at Change.org.

• Ashley Bryant, a Senior Digital Strategist with 270 Strategies. She has been recognized by Advertising Age as one of 40 under 40 Marketing Leaders, and has also been listed as one of “50 Women Who Made the 2012 Election.”

• Rayid Ghani, Research Director and Senior Fellow at the Computation Institute and the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. He is also the co-founder of Edgeflip, an analytics and social media startup that is focused on helping social causes turn their supporters’ influence into valuable actions around advocacy, fundraising and volunteering.

If you want to be inspired and get some actionable advice from serious corporate, cause, and public leaders, MCON is for you.

3. Some attendees will save the world

Not only will MCON feature the usual conference fare, but it will also play host to two interactive competitions. The MCON Filmmaker Series is inviting budding filmmakers interested in social awareness to submit their work and have it screened live. The Be Fearless Pitch-It Competition invites millennial social entrepreneurs to compete for a $2,000 prize to get their project off the ground. Who knows? You might just meet (or be) the next Scott Harrison or Lee Hirsch.

So what are you waiting for? You can buy your tickets here. While you’re there, look for me!