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Seventy-nine million boomers will change the world – again

November 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Changing the world is not an easy assignment – but baby boomers did it once and they’ll do it again.Falling dominos

They tackled civil rights and women’s rights and ushered the country into the digital age of communication and entertainment media. They demanded better health care and more efficient automobiles. They worked alone and worked together to influence both their neighbors and their political leaders. Their list of achievements over the past 60-plus years is undeniably remarkable.

The boomer generation has “never just migrated through stages of life,” says Ken Dychtwald, a specialist on aging. “They always transformed them as they went . . . boomers are not going to grow old like any generations we’ve ever seen.”

And now this cohort of baby boomers – this largest of all generations, born between 1946 and 1964 inclusively – is redefining what retirement means and is on the verge of changing the world again through active volunteerism. Sometimes referred to as the “Senior Tsunami,” this 79 million-member group will begin turning 65 in 2011 and while many now must work longer than expected, large numbers are still likely to commence rolling in waves out of the work force. This powerful tsunami will continue through 2029 and beyond.

Not content to sit on their laurels
Thankfully, the boomer generation is a generation with heart, a generation that is already stepping up, recognizing that they can leave the world a better place for their children and grandchildren. It’s a strong and healthy group with a passion for helping others. Demographers predict the boomers will live longer lives and remain in better physical condition than any predecessor generation.

So, for many, knitting afghans and raising roses will not suffice. Volunteering will become the pathway of choice for many boomers. It will provide a way for them to maintain a social network with people who express their values in similar ways. Some volunteer experiences will also offer an element of adventure – something many boomers desire – without being unsafe or disorganized.

Boomer-rich companies taking note
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a Fortune 500 financial services organization based in Minneapolis, Minn., has 2.6 million members of which approximately 40 percent are baby boomers. When Thrivent reached out to those members to determine what sorts of charitable activities the organization should support, the resounding reply was Habitat for Humanity. Many of these 45- to 60-something Thrivent members were already pounding nails on Habitat construction sites across the nation. They wanted Thrivent Financial to support those efforts.

Based on that information, the company formed a four-year $125 million alliance with Habitat for Humanity International, called Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity. The alliance supported not only the work of the popular home-building nonprofit, it also provided an enhanced means for Thrivent members to become involved or stay involved in an active and meaningful way. Members were offered opportunities to help build homes in their own communities or they could travel in teams with like-minded people to help build homes in specific U.S. locations or abroad.

Thrivent’s approach to connecting with their own boomer members through this alliance was highly successful. They were correct in anticipating that hundreds of thousands of them would be attracted to such an action-packed opportunity. The tangible result is that in just four years a combined total of more than 2,000 homes were built in the United States and in over 30 other countries.

Retiring “to,” not “from”
Along with the sheer size of the boomer generation, its vision of an active retirement is what will spur the group on to changing the world once again. In essence, boomers imagine themselves retiring to a new life, rather than retiring from an old one. They want to be part of something larger than themselves, something they can believe in. The opportunity to contribute something valuable and lasting, to engage their interests, skills and resources, to make a difference in a modicum of time and to slot in a bit of adventure will become paramount.

One of the ways they will meet all those criteria is through volunteerism. The legacy of millions of learned, talented, self-sacrificing people stepping forward to help those less fortunate is thrilling to consider. Imagine a more compassionate world where millions are volunteering and benevolence is the new norm. Those boomers just might pull it off – based on sheer numbers, if nothing else.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Too Many Volunteers?

July 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

by Fonda Kendrick, VolunteerHub.com

person on podium with too many vounteersIt’s a perfect storm when it comes to volunteerism in America right now, based on several factors that we’ve blogged about in the past. The baby boomers are retiring, the unemployed are looking for activities to hone their skills for resumes and simply to fill their free time, and President Obama has issued a massive call to action on the volunteer front. Based on these three streams of supply, nonprofits are currently seeing an unprecedented demand for volunteer opportunities.

In an ironic twist, many organizations that have seen a rise in their volunteer numbers have also seen a downturn in resources. Lindsay Firestone of Taproot comments, “It’s like a Greek tragedy. We’re thrilled to have all of these volunteers. But now organizations are stuck not being able to take advantage of it because they don’t have adequate funding.”

Just a few months ago, The New York Times reported a huge surge of volunteers in areas all across the country. (One hundred thousand in New York City alone!) Suddenly, many nonprofits nationwide are saying something they never thought possible: we have too many volunteers! In fact, the Times quoted one anonymous nonprofit exec as saying, “Can you make them stop calling? Everybody’s inspired by Obama,” he noted. Then he tacked on, “They also don’t have jobs.”

Others echo the executive’s sentiment. Bertina Ceccarelli of United Way in New York, states: “It’s sad but true, but the irony is that sometimes it’s almost more work to find something for a volunteer to do than to just turn them away.”

Having too many volunteers can be chaotic and counterproductive; both volunteer coordinators and volunteers can become frustrated with this situation. However, as we researched deeper into this topic, we found some tips for regulating volunteers within an organization:

  • Before recruiting new volunteers, take stock of your current needs. List the tasks you would like to assign to volunteers, how many people you will need for each task, and how many hours per week should be devoted to these assignments.
  • Write up a “wish list” focusing on a variety of areas within the organization. What have you been wanting to do/try? In particular, you may want to focus on fundraising efforts, marketing/PR/graphic design, and maybe even maintenance work such as cleaning or painting. Again, assess the hours and number of individuals needed for these tasks.
  • Create a “crowdsourcing” area on your website. Have members of your organization brainstorm on challenges that hinder them from attaining some of their goals. Ask your volunteers (or the public in general) to offer ideas for solutions, then use those suggestions, in tandem with volunteers, to put those plans into action.
  • Get creative. What new programs or teams could you start with additional volunteers, even on a shoestring?
  • Develop a list of tasks that can always be done with little direction/supervision.
  • Hold monthly informational meetings for potential volunteers to find out more about your organization and its volunteer opportunities. This will minimize time spent on this aspect of recruiting and maximize the amount of individuals reached each month.
  • Cultivate one or more volunteers to manage and/or train other volunteers.
  • Start a waiting list for volunteers. As we all know, some volunteers have a short-lived enthusiasm. If some drop out of your volunteer pool, it helps to have more ready and willing contacts at your fingertips.

Handy hint: Once you have new volunteer opportunities planned, don’t forget to use VolunteerHub’s event slot limit feature to set boundaries on the number of volunteers registering. (Make sure to use the waitlisting feature, too!)

Remember, with a surplus of volunteers, this is your time to be selective. You have the right — and the responsibility — to interview volunteers to make sure they are a good fit for both your organization and the projects you have outlined. And, by partnering with other organizations in your community, you can refer individuals that do not mesh well with your agency to other groups to which they may be better suited.

Perhaps most importantly, keep in mind that this is your chance to make a lasting impression on your volunteers. Take the time to evaluate your need for volunteers and match those willing to help with challenging, meaningful tasks. If they have a fulfilling, well-planned experience, your volunteers are likely to maintain their ties to your organization for years to come.

Fonda Kendrick works for VolunteerHub,  the latest version of a system first conceived in 1996 to facilitate volunteer registration for the University of Michigan’s campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Since its humble beginnings, the service has grown to offer a wide range of features for event, event registration, and volunteer workforce management. Today VolunteerHub connects people and purposes for a variety of nonprofit, educational, and commercial organizations.

Related article:

“From the Ranks of Jobless, A Flood of Volunteers,” by Julie Bosman, in the New York Times, March 16, 2009

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Older Adult Volunteers Bring New Expertise and New Life to Nonprofits

April 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

paper doll people holding hands(ARA) -When Margaret Ross retired from a career in nursing, she had no idea that her new life as a volunteer would lead her right back into healthcare. Neither did Mike Chesnut, whose work building retail partnerships looks a lot like his volunteer service for a group of Denver nonprofits that are fighting homelessness. The same is true for retiree Berlin Hall. Since leaving his accounting executive career, Hall’s desire to help at-risk families led him to volunteer to manage the books for a family services agency.

As they move into roles in service and volunteering, older adults like these are discovering that what they know is just as important as how much time they can give. Their help couldn’t have come at a better time. With demand for nonprofit services skyrocketing, fundraising and revenues are way down. Some experts predict as many as 100,000 nonprofit organizations could run out of money for their programs completely.

The recession has spurred more interest in volunteering among older adults, particularly among boomers, says Jill Friedman Fixler, a nonprofit consultant and co-author of “Boomer Volunteer Engagement.”

“This is a group with abundant skills and profound circles of influence and they believe they can have an impact in their community right now,” she says.

That was the idea for Chesnut. After leaving his job as a retail sales executive with Procter & Gamble, Chesnut, 64, spent several years as a counselor for small business owners. When he moved to Denver a few years ago, he decided to focus on helping nonprofits. As he explored his options, Chesnut was struck by Denver’s homeless problem. Millions of dollars were being spent pulling families out of shelters, but programs that were trying to keep families out of them to begin with were underfunded. After organizing a coalition of local nonprofits, Chesnut began a research project that eventually led to a successful $600,000 grant.

“Coming from the corporate world and working with large retailers, you learn to look for common interest,” he says. “What I did was put numbers to the problem.”

Nancy Benyamin, a volunteer coordinator for Jewish Family Service who worked with Chesnut, says he’s an example of the increasing importance of skilled volunteers to nonprofits that want to expand their capacity in lean times.

“Mike really enabled us to apply for this large grant,” Benyamin says. “Without his assistance, the new funding just wouldn’t be happening.”

For Ross, 72, the serious needs she saw as a volunteer for SeniorsPlus in Lewiston, Maine, made her rethink the decision to step away from healthcare completely. After retiring as director of nursing for a state Medicare program, Ross signed up to help answer a referral phone line for SeniorsPlus, an agency that helps the local aging population get services and support. The organization was so impressed by her knowledge of medicine and healthcare benefits that they asked her to take on a new role as a counselor, and even get additional training. Seeing the healthcare system from the point of view of at-risk seniors has been an eye-opener, Ross says.

“[In my old job], I rarely was aware whether the patient was insured or not,” she says. “Now I’m on the other side of the fence saying, ‘Let’s get this person the coverage they need.’”

For Hall, a Hughes Aircraft retiree, volunteering for Family Assessment, Counseling & Education Services (F.A.C.E.S.) was a way to shield some families from the challenges his own family faced when his father, an alcoholic, left. After reviewing Hall’s background, Mary O’Connor, the executive director at the Southern California nonprofit, asked him to set up a new accounting system for the cash-strapped group. Five months later, the books are on the way to being balanced and Hall has become a strong F.A.C.E.S. supporter. He says his experience getting involved on a skilled basis, while frustrating at times, has been extraordinary.

“If my mother had access to this kind of thing, I can see how much better off we would have been,” he says with emotion. “But I had no idea that the kind of challenges this organization faces even existed.”

To find skilled volunteer opportunities, visit www.VolunteerMatch.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Filed Under: Nonprofit Management Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Shifting Course: Why You Should Be Preparing For The New Volunteer

April 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

multiple open doorsIf you did a survey of hospital volunteer programs, you would discover the majority of them were formed in the early-to-mid 1950′s.    These programs were organized by GI Generation women, many of whom had worked and volunteered to support the war.  Once their soldiers returned, the women returned home too, raising children and putting their time, organizing skills, and energy into volunteering and raising funds for civic organizations…and community hospitals.

Many in the GI Generation were shaped by two world wars and a great depression, and so were their workplace values.  These are the values that have defined hospital volunteer programs for more than 50 years–serving on a regular-ongoing basis, performing repetitive, lower skilled, highly defined roles. An annual banquet and a pin for their service hours were standard and desirable forms of recognition.  A pink pinafore was a source of pride.  Now the youngest members of the GI Generation are 85 years of age.

What is your healthcare institution doing to create new systems and new opportunities for the next volunteer generation?

Your volunteer pool is dwindling and you are not alone.  But looking to younger volunteers to work in “old” systems won’t succeed.   This next generation says they prefer short-term commitments.  They want meaningful work and opportunities to use their professional skills.  They want autonomy, self-direction and lots of choice when volunteering.  They are time-poor and you are competing for their recreational time and time with friends and loved ones.  What they want in exchange is a valuable experience-reflective of their ideals, their skills, and their values!

By 2010, nearly 64 million Boomers will be poised to retire.  Because of the long-term effects of the current recession, many will have to work, but not all of them full time.  Research tells us almost two-thirds of Boomers plan to volunteer. Serving community becomes more important to them as they age.   They are willing to roll up their sleeves to solve society’s problems, but it may be between jobs or on a project basis.

What can you do to attract this next volunteer generation?   Consider…

  • Hire a professional volunteer director–preferably one who has completed their Certified Administrator of Volunteer Services (CAVS) designation through the American Hospital Association.  Or support your existing director in getting certified.
  • Give your volunteer director time and resources to create new volunteer management systems.
  • Expand volunteer opportunities for highly skilled individuals.   Use words like pro bono consultant, team leader, virtual volunteer and entrepreneur words when marketing.
  • Train employees to work with a more educated and professionally trained volunteer workforce.   Recognize and compensate them for doing so.
  • Create a new range of incentives for a more diverse volunteer team.

Create a win-win for all

An AARP poll found that nearly 54% of volunteers and 48% of non-volunteers would give 15-hours a week if they were provided compensation such as reduced drug costs, gas, and small monthly stipends.   For individuals who have just lost a job and half of their retirement, a stipend (contract labor at below market wages) could create a win-win for all.  The poll also found that the 50+ volunteer workforce could be doubled through small inducements such as learning new things, making friends, and putting career skills to use.

Changing a half century-old volunteer management system requires time and strategic planning.  Current volunteers will need to be brought on board.  And, it will take time to find out what works, change what doesn’t, and make course corrections.

What are the benefits to you?

  • Because they are “private citizens,” volunteers are free to advocate on your behalf.
  • They extend the budget by providing time philanthropy, and, if managed effectively, can have a large impact on your ability to reach your mission.
  • Volunteers have the luxury to concentrate their time and expertise on a particular issue, customer or service area.
  • They are an abundant resource that can compliment your workforce.
  • Volunteers are twice as likely to donate money as non-volunteers.

Healthcare volunteer programs have been making incremental changes for decades.  But shifting demographics and transformational changes now occurring in our country and healthcare institutions, have made it critical that hospitals make fundamental and meaningful changes in how volunteers are recruited, managed and supported.

Volunteers can improve your hospital’s effectiveness and services to both patients and your community.  Are you ready to succeed with this new talent pool?

Wendy Biro-Pollard, President of Training and Consulting Solutions, is a seasoned speaker and facilitator in demand at regional and national conferences in the US and Canada. She serves on the US training team for VISTA Americorp and recently provided contract training services for Temple University’s Center for Intergenerational Learning, boomer volunteer initiative.

Wendy is a Certified Volunteer Administrator with over 25 years in healthcare volunteer management. She served on the board of the Association of Healthcare Volunteer Resource Professionals, an affiliate of the American Hospital Association.

For more information, contact me through this site or by phone at 512-914-8176.

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