I received a review copy of CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World by Tom Watson two days ago and I tore through it in just a few hours.

Everything he writes about resonates with me. Today’s seismic shifts are being brought about by people in the age range of 18-29, and they are driving things like your marketplace, your realities, your internet connections, and your ability to network with other people.

These Millennials (segmented even more into “First Globals” by pollster John Zogby) are truly our 21st century changemakers.

Their consumer tastes run different to your mother’s or grandmother’s. Their ways they connect are different from how you connect to your cousins or grandparents. Their ways they shop are online, transparent, and engaged.

They share information — virally — by e-mail, tweeting, and by posting on their Facebook profile.

They are super-connected and have a very good sense of what is fake/reaching/corporate (like AT&T’s texting of the American Idol show to uninterested subscribers — which is considered spam, if you didn’t know), and what is real/genuine/empowering (like contributing to Kiva.org to support entrepreneurs in other countries).
CauseWired goes into the generational shifts and gives us an overview of what is happening in the world of cause-related giving and how nonprofits, issues, campaigns and businesses can become more connected and engaged with their core constituents.

A fascinating read that goes into recent news like: Katrina, Facebook’s origins, Causes and other ways of "Peer-to-peer Philanthropy," the way that Milleninials engage and share their information, "flash" causes, open source giving, and how to be an online leader, and the ability to distribute work flow/ideas/processes through multiple people and networks.

With the new year and with an opportunity to reflect on the drastic shifts happening in our society, consider using this book as a how-to guide on how other groups, individuals, and causes are raising awareness about their issues, and how you can get involved, share your own story, and connect with others.

You can find Tom Watson on his personal blog: http://tomwatson.typepad.com/
and on his business site: http://www.causewired.com