CHICAGO (June 24, 2015) – Achieve, a national research agency for causes, today released the 2015 Millennial Impact Report in partnership with the Case Foundation. The study, which was unveiled in conjunction with the Millennial Impact Conference (MCON), a national convening of corporate and nonprofit leaders taking place June 24-25 in Chicago, is part of the ongoing Millennial Impact Project led by Achieve.

The 2015 report examines the relationships between Millennial employees (born 1980 – 2000) and their managers, and the resulting impact on participation in corporate social responsibility, company giving and volunteerism programs. The report represents data and findings from the first phase of a two-phase quantitative and qualitative study.

Among the report’s key findings is the revelation that peers, not supervisors, have the biggest impact on Millennials’ participation in company cause initiatives. For example, the research found that Millennial employees are 46% more likely to make a donation if their co-worker encourages them to and 27% more likely to donate if their direct supervisor encourages them to. However, only 21% of Millennials are more likely to donate if the CEO of their company encourages them to. “Starting with the first Millennial Impact Report in 2009, the data has clearly shown that this generation is putting their idealism into action in meaningful ways in how they connect, give and engage with causes they care about,” said Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation. “This year’s report highlights the power of influence in the workplace and provides clear tips and recommendations for companies looking to more fully engage Millennials in volunteerism and corporate giving campaigns.”

The 2015 Millennial Impact Report builds from the findings of the 2014 study, which marked a shift in focus from how Millennials were personally giving back and engaging with causes, to researching how Millennial employees view and engage with their company’s cause-based programs. Building on the 2014 findings, the 2015 report narrowed in on Millennial employee and manager attitudes toward cause-based initiatives in the workplace, analyzing the factors that shape those attitudes and influence their behavior.

“At Achieve, with the support of the Case Foundation, we have led the largest Millennial research effort over the past five years to uncover comprehensive data on how this generation engages with causes and how they are influenced,” said Derrick Feldmann, president of Achieve. “We’ve studied nearly 35,000 millennials throughout eight reports. This year’s study helps companies better understand how Millennial employees engage with and respect their company management, and how that corresponds with their overall corporate volunteering and donating practices.”

The report also found that 84% of Millennial employees who made a charitable donation in 2014, and 22% of those employees said that at least part of their giving was solicited by their employer. In fact, nearly half (48%) of Millennials said they have donated to company-sponsored giving campaign at some point in their careers.

Beyond workplace giving, this study also examines service initiatives such as company-wide volunteer days and the types of incentives that motivate Millennial employees to participate in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. The research found that 7 in 10 millennial employees would be more likely to give if their company offered to match part of their donation.

Learn more about the research findings in the full 2015 Millennial Impact Report now available to download for free at themillennialimpact.com.

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Research by Achieve  – Achieve leads and conducts research for The Millennial Impact Project. A division of Forte Interactive, Achieve is a research agency for causes and corporations. We help organizations understand the behaviors of today’s donors, activists and employees who are redefining cause engagement. Achieve also hosts MCON, the nation’s premier conference on the Millennial generation and movements for social good.

Sponsored by the Case Foundation – Established by digital pioneers Jean and Steve Case, the Case Foundation invests in people and ideas that can change the world. For nearly two decades, we have focused on creating programs and investing in people and organizations that harness the best impulses of entrepreneurship, innovation, technology and collaboration to address urgent social challenges. Our work is focused on three key pillars: revolutionizing the philanthropic sector, unleashing the power of entrepreneurship to create social change and igniting civic engagement through citizen-driven solutions. For more information, visit www.casefoundation.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.