Boomers as volunteers
One would think that this is indeed a match made in heaven. First the large influx of baby boomers are ready to make the most of their second half of life by doing good in their community. Second, more non-profits are facing reduced budgets and increased demand for their services.
So why did a recent study done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a decrease in the number of volunteers age 45-64 in the last 12 months?
Reasons for the Decline in Boomer Volunteers
ome obvious reasons for the decline include: time pressures — especially with boomers’ growing role as the “sandwich generation” — and the need to hang onto paying jobs a little longer (economics). A survey of boomer volunteers, done by the Corporation for National and Community Service, revealed that volunteers feel their true talents or skill are not being fully put to use and they do not feel they are making a significant impact. In other words, stuffing goody bags and working the registration desk does not fall into the category of skill-based, longer term, meaningful volunteer projects and assignments.
The survey provides the following recommendations for non-profits addressing the changing needs and motivations of baby boomers:
- Rethink how to attract and utilize Baby Boomers as volunteers
- Strengthen non-profits’ view of volunteers as assets, similar to donors.
- Adopt key practices such as matching volunteers to challenging assignment to build organizational capacity and increase volunteer participation.
- Remember that volunteering and giving are directly related.
A recent Forbes article showcases several non-profits who have been extremely successful tweaking their volunteer recruitment and retention strategies to include more skill-based volunteer assignments. The depth of wisdom and experience of volunteers benefits these non-profit organizations at a whole different level.
The implications for non-profits extend to how they recruit volunteers as well as what skill level they seek. This includes how job posts are written. This also requires a shift in how non-profits train and manage skill-based, longer term volunteer assignments. The payoff and opportunities for making this shift can be tremendous. Contributions from properly recruited, trained and managed volunteers have direct financial impact on the organization.
A meaningful volunteer program can address some of the long term service demands and organizational issues of non-profits. There are a variety of new training programs and organizations that can assist non-profits with this shift including Encore Tampa Bay. I will be diving deeper into possible solutions, tips and resources for non-profits and boomers in the next couple of months! Stay tuned.
I welcome your comments or ideas on this topic! Join the discussion either on my website, Linked In (Encore Tampa Bay) or Facebook (Encore Tampa Bay).
Great post! I appreciate the focus on volunteerism and why it is down. The Forbes magazine article is helpful. It is a busy time for us boomers but most of us have worked hard all our lives. Most of us will find something to do and wonder how we had time to work a full-time job plus the extra hours those jobs required. It is a new day for organizations and businesses seeking volunteers. Full-time employees have a greater sense of the flow of how a business or non-profit works. A percentage of the task is reacting to problems. It is harder for a volunteer to respond when problems occur and when things happen that are not normal. My church recently requested members to volunteer as office receptionists. It is a more difficult job than you would think. People call churches with needs. How does a volunteer with little experience deal with a homeless person at the door looking for a place to stay for the night? Some people could handle it, but most volunteers would need to ask for help. Encore means we have to grow and learn how to be good volunteers and employees at different levels of the business or non-profit. At this point I would rather be in a hands-on position rather than management. These institutions also have to grow in their awareness of how to make service for volunteers meaningful. Perhaps an area to explore is the opportunity to build friendships and connection with others doing the same thing. At least we are beginning the dance and learning the steps.