--- title: "Monday Buzz: Millennials and the Shift Away From Advocacy" id: "36127" type: "post" slug: "monday-buzz-millennials-and-the-shift-away-from-advocacy" published_at: "2016-12-05T23:11:08+00:00" modified_at: "2016-12-05T23:11:08+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/12/05/monday-buzz-millennials-and-the-shift-away-from-advocacy/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/12/05/monday-buzz-millennials-and-the-shift-away-from-advocacy.md" excerpt: "An expert on the younger generation suggests that associations should look at social entrepreneurship, not advocacy, to engage millennials. Also: Why large event venues shut their doors." taxonomy_category: - "Advocacy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Advocacy" - "AssociationsNow" - "Entrepreneurship" - "Membership" - "nonprofit" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Monday Buzz: Millennials and the Shift Away From Advocacy Millennials and young adults have a differing mindset on causes than do older generations, which is why a recent study [recommended that nonprofits change up their tactics](http://associationsnow.com/2016/11/report-shifting-nature-millennials-perceive-causes/) to reach these audiences. But what should those strategies look like? In a recent piece on *Association Success*, [XYZ University Founder Sarah Sladek posits (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationsuccess.org/article/engaging-millennials-through-social-entrepreneurship) that for associations, the path forward might not be an aggressive approach to government relations, but rather one focused on social entrepreneurship. “As social entrepreneurs, millennials pursue opportunities to solve the world’s problems,” Sladek writes. “As these problems have grown increasingly complex, the big question is: how can the problem-solving work of society be redesigned so it is more responsive to our needs? Hence, advocacy is changing. Millennials are expecting associations to focus on a greater good and to engage them in the process.” Overall, she sees the tide turning away from advocacy. “Advocacy as we know it is declining and becoming irrelevant, while social entrepreneurism is growing,” she adds. [Check out her full post over this way (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationsuccess.org/article/engaging-millennials-through-social-entrepreneurship) . ### When Venues Close > 15 Abandoned Event Venues [https://t.co/4vj8TrR026 (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/4vj8TrR026) > [#events (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/events?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#eventprofs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/eventprofs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#venues (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/venues?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/oDKVzEN8N0 (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/oDKVzEN8N0) > > — Skift Meetings (@SkiftMeetings) [December 5, 2016 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/SkiftMeetings/status/805747382000427008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Not every event venue** is designed to last for the long haul. Sometimes they close because of age or expense. The *Event Manager Blog* [recently highlighted 15 abandoned venues (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/15-abandoned-event-venues) , many of which fell into decay because of political factors, natural disasters, or (more commonly) lack of maintenance. “As you can see, the size of the event does not always guarantee that they will be in use or maintained because for many event venues the ongoing maintenance cost is simply too high,” the site states. [Check it out. It’s a fascinating read (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/15-abandoned-event-venues) . ### Other Links of Note **The future of mobile payments** might look a lot like Amazon Go. [Check out the new grocery store strategy (opens in a new tab)](https://www.amazon.com/b?node=16008589011) , which is breathtakingly innovative. **Site launch of the day:** One of the boldest new websites in recent memory, [The Outline is designed to tell stories in different ways (opens in a new tab)](https://theoutline.com/) . It’s the brainchild of Joshua Topolsky, the journalist behind *The Verge* and an audacious *Bloomberg* redesign. **Anonymity isn’t an excuse not to engage:** At the Rasa.io blog, Christian Britt [makes the case for engaging anonymous users (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.rasa.io/what-are-you-leaving-on-the-table-with-your-online-community) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. 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