The Importance of Developing Community through Events for Young Professionals

Society depends on the idea that we are collectively, in some way, responsible for the well-being of our community, country, and world, and ESPECIALLY the next generation. At every geospatial conference around the globe, the topic that is repeatedly a common concern is the increased pressure to recruit young members. Our numbers dwindle year by year by exponential amounts, and with the looming threat of industry destabilization by local governments, the time to act with urgency is now. Not just to recruit more young people but to take care of the people we have. If we cannot provide a community worth being a part of, why should the younger generation care??

How can we expect people to understand what it means to give back to their communities without examples from the state and national organizations, which arguably are founded and financed to support “the people?” There are many gains to be had through community involvement, but we will narrow our focus to four primary benefits for today’s young professionals:?

Expand Your Social Circle

Many young professionals participated in on-campus organizations during college and extracurricular activities from childhood, from student organizations to after-school sports. After graduation, you may find yourself in a new city or back home looking to meet other like-minded peers, but struggle finding a community post-graduation. Joining an organization or signing up as a volunteer can be the perfect place to expand your social circle. An organization created specifically to support our young professionals is the NSPS Young Surveyor Network. This organization provides access to meeting other professionals across the U.S. and is affiliated with FIG YSN, the International Young Surveyor Network. Just recently, the FIG Working Week was hosted in Orlando, Florida, and many of the young surveyors in attendance were able to meet and befriend people from across the globe. Even when I graduated a little over a year ago, I felt lost without an academic institution and the validation and community that came with it. Since my home state of New York does not host events targeted towards young professionals outside of test workshops and our annual conference (attended mainly by older members, isolating young professionals), I immediately joined the NSPS YSN. I attended my first Fall Meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since then, I have volunteered for the NSPS Student Competition as a mentor for the one New York State team, assisted the PR Committee in promoting the FIG YSN Meeting, passed multiple CST exams, and have been preparing for my license tests.

Hone Your Leadership Skills

Upon entering the job market, you have likely obtained the technical skills needed to embark on your career path from your studies and perhaps an internship, but what about soft skills? A toolkit of soft skills will set you above the competition and make you a better employee and coworker; joining a community can help you hone these skills. When volunteering with an organization, you will have ample opportunities to improve your communication and teamwork capabilities. Additionally, you may have opportunities to practice your public speaking skills and even lead an event or project. This will give you invaluable experience and abilities you can utilize on your resume and in the workforce. I have a long way to go with learning soft skills. I am from New York. I am kind, but I am not nice. I think certain niceties are ingenuine and despise them. People find me to be brash. I’m deeply impatient. And like many surveyors before me, I am stubborn.

Gain Personal Fulfillment

Taking on responsibilities and giving time to a community can bring personal fulfillment to professionals at any stage in their careers. Many nonprofit organizations, such as NSPS YSN, rely on volunteers to serve their mission. Choosing a nonprofit organization whose mission aligns with your values will allow you to serve your community and fulfill your passions. No value can be placed on the feeling you get from making a difference in your community.?

Additionally, you can explore new roles outside of your career field that interest you. For example, if you are interested in photography or social media marketing like me, you can find opportunities to explore these outlets while helping your chosen community organizations. No matter your passion, being part of a community organization can bring great personal joy at the beginning of your career.?

As a military child, I’ve always felt quite detached. We have to move from place to place because of our parents. You try to become less attached, so leaving breaks your heart a little less. Outside of my family, I struggle to feel like I belong in a community. I’ve always struggled to get along with people. Community is something I’ve always longed for. Photography has helped me observe and celebrate the beauty of humanity and existence in a way I feel comfortable. Helping with NSPS YSN and celebrating the small wins of people throughout the country has helped me feel more connected to people close to my age in ways that I have never been able to.?

Explore Networking Opportunities?

Finally, one of the main reasons young professionals join community organizations is networking. Many organizations, such as those with the specific purpose of business or professional development, host networking events that are perfect opportunities for young professionals to hone their networking skills. Joining or volunteering with a community organization with a service focus can also offer networking opportunities as a supplementary benefit. While serving your community, you can meet young and seasoned professionals with shared interests and goals. Your next boss, coworker, or client might be found at the following volunteer event or board meeting you attend.?

There are several benefits associated with young professionals’ involvement in community organizations. These benefits are not mutually exclusive and provide advantages to the organization, the community served, and the young professionals themselves. The benefits range from skill development to creating better employees and citizens to finding meaning and value in helping others. As an industry tasked with serving communities, involving young professionals in local organizations creates an excellent opportunity to fulfill that mission while preparing confident and effective park and recreation professionals for the future.

The bulk of the workforce is made up of Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers, and Gen Z is not far behind. There’s this myth that young professionals are not willing to join or take an active role in an association, but that’s wrong. They are willing, but participation needs to be a win-win; it must benefit others as well as benefit them personally. In order to survive, associations must learn to reach young professionals and adapt to their culture.

Regardless of its mission or structure, an association’s day-to-day operations mirror a service-based business. Businesses have customers. Associations have members. Why do customers seek goods and services? To solve a problem. Why do members engage with an organization? To solve a problem.

Young professionals are busy. Competition for members is fierce, and meeting the demands of this young demographic is critical to survival. Luckily, associations have the resources to provide young professionals with precisely what they need to stay credible and relevant. The key is to have a plan to make those resources widely available and ensure the target demographic is aware of them.?

5 Tips to Engage Young Professionals

1. Young people care about causes and want to be involved
2. Help young professionals succeed
3. Know the issues they are facing
4. Provide a path to leadership
5. Recognize successes immediately

Regardless of size, budget, or mission, most associations struggle to develop ideas to engage 20-somethings. Why not have some fun while you attempt to get their attention?

Some Fun Ideas for Young Professionals:

1. Group dinner featuring local breweries
2. Go Hiking and Search for Monuments
3. Poker tournament with play money but real prizes
4. Get a Charter boat and go fishing
5. Bingo – cheesy, but fun!
6. Escape Rooms

Tip: It’s essential to view engagement activities for young professionals as an investment, not a revenue generator. Consider your best possible scenario to be a break-even, and you’ll be on the right track.

Young professionals need employer support. Many employers won’t pay or subsidize dues and refuse time off for association activities. Therefore, associations must educate and communicate the value of membership to individuals AND their employers.

Providing association benefits to this younger audience is critical. But more importantly, communicating these association benefits is key. Consider the “member as the customer” angle related to younger members. With the influx of Millennials and Generation Z into the workforce, it’s time for associations to accept that a new type of “customer” has emerged and is here to stay. Engaging with young professionals is important because they are energizing, creative, and innovative. They delight in making positive systemic and organizational change. Which begs the question: Can you afford not to engage them?

But how? Word of mouth is one of the best ways to attract new members. Young professionals aren’t going to believe what you say about your organization; they’re going to believe their peers. This generation is connected to large networks via social media, so getting a few younger members to advocate for your association can go a long way.

Connect often: young professionals are hyper-connected and want to know what their peers are doing and where they are around the clock.

Associations validate their value by providing young professionals with the tools to become leaders in their industry. This, in turn, increases association recruitment and association retention numbers.?

We can only accomplish a goal if we can take the first step. So, I urge young people to speak with your local and state organizations and take a singular step, and I urge local and state organizations to care for those they are supposed to represent. Host an event for the young people in our industry. Not just your office people. Your field personnel are also vital to what we do as an industry. Interact with our students and programs. I think everyone would agree we’d like to retire one day. We want to believe we are leaving our industry in capable hands, but if you’re complaining and not doing anything, you’re not in the room. If you’re not communicating in a way that is not willing to be received, then you’re talking to yourself. If you do nothing to represent your people, you represent no one.

Tapps, Tyler, and Emily McKenzie. "The Importance of Young Professionals' Involvement with Community Organizations." Parks & Recreation, vol. 49, no. 10, 2014, pp. 44-45.

Embracing and Engaging Young Professionals - GrowthZone. https://www.growthzone.com/blog/embracing-and-engaging-young-professionals/