As of 2015, millennials officially make up the largest population within the U.S. workforce. With 53.5 million millennials (generally defined as those born between 1980 and 2000) employed in the United States in 2015 (compared to 52.7 million gen X-ers and 44.6 million baby boomers), it's time to embrace the future leaders of our workforce.

The good news is that this is not a generation full of entitled young men and women that you so often hear and read about. Rather, this latest generation to enter the workforce brings some seriously strong assets with them—especially for associations and nonprofits.

1. Millennials bring new ideas to the table. Millennials have had nearly instant access to the internet from early childhood, which has led the generation to view digital resources as an extension of their own ideas. Their innate connectivity allowed them to work collectively and creatively from a very young age, and, considering that 18- to 35-year-olds are the most diverse generation in U.S. history [PDF], according to a 2014 White House report, it's no surprise that many of their ideas have potential for great success.

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With objective answers to questions available in seconds with a Google search, many millennials (sometimes referred to as digital natives) are working–often collectively–toward solving complicated problems (large and small) that require more creative, subjective solutions.

Rachel Barnes, a former McKinley Marketing Partners consultant who also happens to be a millennial and has worked with multiple associations, brings a unique perspective on how technology has changed the workplace. "We can do a 9-to-5 easily like people have been doing, or we can shift and do things according to how society is moving now with technology and social media," she says. "We have the knowhow and the capability to transfer between traditional and nontraditional work environments more seamlessly."

"'This is the way we've always done it' doesn't mean it needs to stay that way," says Shannon Nelligan, CMP, another millennial and former McKinley Marketing Partners consultant who has worked with several associations including the American Association of Tissue Banks and the Sherriff's Association. "Just being able to look at something as simple as an agenda, something that's been done a certain way since the early '90s. It doesn't mean it can't change and get better."

2. Millennials come from a culture of giving and sharing. Many boomers have dubbed today's young adults as the "Me" generation, but the truth is that the majority of millennials are inspired, impassioned, and engaged by the idea of improving their communities and the world at large.

"One of the characteristics of millennials, besides the fact that they are masters of digital communication, is that they are primed to do well by doing good," said Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, in a 2010 interview with Inc. Magazine. "Almost 70 percent say that giving back and being civically engaged are their highest priorities."

In addition to introducing a large group of passionate volunteers into the world, the urge to improve has encouraged many millennials to look for employment with organizations they can honestly stand behind, which gives nonprofits (including associations) an edge on attracting the best talent available.

This latest generation to enter the workforce brings some seriously strong assets with them—especially for associations and nonprofits.

3. Millennials love to learn and are eager to succeed. According to the 2014 White House report, millennials are the most-educated generation at work today–61 percent of the adult members of the generation have attended college (compared to just 46 percent of their boomer parents).

While it's true that the average millennial may switch jobs (or even careers) every three to five years, they may be doing so because of a desire to learn as much as possible in the shortest amount of time and to be passionate about what they are doing.

"My dad was a boomer and stayed in his career forever and was worried that I'd hop around too much," says Nelligan, who has worked for several associations and says she learns from each position and takes her knowledge with her as she moves to the next. "But I feel like by moving around and learning from other people and looking for other experiences, I am actually a stronger candidate for associations."

And the passion they seek cultivates ambition: Millennials are go-getters who are willing to put in the work to earn the results they expect from themselves.

"They will be the most high-maintenance workforce in the history of the world, but they may also be the most high performing," says Bruce Tulgan, author of It's Okay to Manage Your Boss.

Love it or loathe it, the fact is that millennials will make up the majority of working adults by 2020, so it's time to start working with them, using their talents to help your organization and—yes—even learning from them.