An aerial photo shows the scene after Typhoon Haiyan hit Leyte province, Nov. 10, 2013. The Philippine government disaster relief agency said Sunday about 4.4 million people have become homeless in areas hit by super typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda). It was the most powerful typhoon in the history of the Philippines.
PHILADELPHIA – Young adults are giving money to help people recover from natural disasters. But they're doing it in their own way. People born after 1982 are called the Millennial generation. They grew up with technology. So when it comes to giving money, they use technology more than their parents do.

A big typhoon hit the Philippines on Nov. 7. Typhoon Haiyan was one of the largest tropical storms ever. Thousands of people died. More than 600,000 people lost their homes.

No one knows the full damage yet. Telephone and Internet service aren't fully back up yet. Roads are still blocked in places.

And aid has reached victims very slowly in parts of the country.

High Tech Generation

Digital technology has changed how giving works. Aid groups ask people to give money. And then people donate, or give money to those aid groups. More people now give digitally through text messaging, Facebook and websites. The quickest way to send $10 is by text message. You can send the Salvation Army $10 just by texting the word TYPHOON to a five-digit number.

The Web is ready to accept money. Google the words "Philippines" and "aid," and about a dozen aid group websites pop up. You'll see ads above and to the right of your search results.

Visit Facebook this week. You'll see an ad that reads "Emergency Relief Donation" from the American Red Cross.

Apple even has created a way to give money through the iTunes store.

That makes it quick and easy to give. It's almost "one-click giving," says Derrick Feldmann. He helps aid groups get support from people.

It's perfect for young millennials. They spend a lot of time on smart phones and tablets. The Pew Research Center is a group that surveys people about big things happening in the U.S. Its 2011 survey found that people under 40 were just as likely to give money digitally as over the phone or through the mail.

Donated During Disasters

Millennials gave money during the Haiti earthquake of 2010. And they gave big again during the Japanese tsunami disaster of 2011. It caused giant waves of water that wrecked many towns. Famous people such as will.i.am, Sean Penn and Shakira asked people to give money. Three-quarters of the people who gave to help Haiti were younger than 50.

Feldmann says that Haiti got aid because of the coverage on TV and the Internet. It showed just how bad the disaster was. And millennials were ready to act.

Can the suffering in the Philippines be brought to life like that?

Feldmann says millennials give money based on their feelings. "They see something on TV, the Web, their mobile device, and they decide to text some money," he said.

But they are very sharp. "They know exactly what digital tools to use, to find out more about the cause and 'where my money is going,'" he says. Then they give money.

A 2012 survey of millennials asked 6,522 people ages 20 to 35 how they give. Three-quarters said they had donated money in the last year. And almost two-thirds said they had volunteered. They usually give $100 or less each time. Older groups give more. But younger people give more quickly.

Millennials like to give locally. But, they also give to help out in other countries. Part of this is because YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are global. Human suffering is all over the world. But now we can see it up close, and respond.

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