Nothing has spurred the entrepreneurial spirit of Gen Z quite like the COVID-19 pandemic and that extends to launching nonprofits. The new charities are attracting volunteers because young people get to do real work, either in person or remotely. Interest in New Voters, established in suburban Philadelphia shortly after the 2016 election, boomed during the pandemic and now has a research arm studying the civic engagement of high school students. Prospective volunteers can choose whether to help with the research or lead voter registration drives in their schools. Gen Z charities like New Voters, Develop for Good, and Farmlink may be positioned to scale more quickly than similar efforts in the past, thanks to young leaders who are accustomed to tapping their social networks.
