The 1964 Bob Dylan song ended with the words, "Thetimes they are a chang'n." We could easy change this today to say, "The volunteers they are a chang'n." The lyrics to this 39-year-old Bob Dylan song are as foreign to today's young volunteers as are the motivations of previous generations of volunteers.
Grandma and Grandpa (Matures, born before 1946) grew up in a time when volunteerism was a natural, expected part of life. Civic participation, from voting to helping at school was the expected norm. Women's groups, hospital guilds, and fraternal organizations provided valuable services to the community.
. . .They're very civic minded. They watched the nation form teams that worked together to overcome hardships. They witnessed business and government come together during the New Deal to conquer the depression. They saw the power of union membership and collective action make dramatic changes in workplace dynamics, and they have seen the impact of the collective actions of all shape and manner of special-interest groups... they have made Gray Pantherhood a potent set of political alliances. (Zemke, Raines, Filipczak, 2000, p. 52)
Mom and Dad (Baby Boomers, born 1946-1964) went to college in record numbers and entered the workplace in record number. An optimistic, challenge authority generation, they believed they could change the world and by their sheer number have changed many things in society and the workplace. They championed causes such as civil rights, women's lib and equal employment and they sought to conquer the new frontier of space: "to boldly go where no one has gone before.'Volunteerism focused on issues, not civic duty or collective action. It was about leaving a legacy, not self-sacrifice. Volunteerism was about making a different in the community and in the world.
Expectations for this generation were so high that, in 1967, Time magazine actually gave its coveted 'Manof the Year' award to the Baby Boom Generation, proclaiming them the generationthat would clean up our cities, end racial inequalities, and find a cure for the common cold. (Zemke, Raines, Filipczak, 2000, p. 66)
While Boomers certainly made a difference, the golden dream of civic involvement has gone unfulfilled. "Volunteering among seniors has nearly doubled over the last quarter century (from and average of 6 times per year to an average of 12 times per year). At the same time, volunteering has grown modestly (from roughly 3.5 to roughly 4.5 times per year) among twenty-somethings and hasactually declined among those aged thirty to fifty-five." (Putman, 2000, p. 129)
Xers (born 1965-1980), the first generation of latchkey kids, learned to be resourceful and self sufficient at an early age. They came home from school to an empty house, fixed dinner and did their homework. Many grew up in singleparent households as boomers left unfulfilling relationships. They learned to trust their own decision-making abilities. They began to enter the job market amid the economic uncertainties of the 80's while watching their parents go through layoffs, consolidations, downsizing and mergers. As a result, they are a skeptical, self-reliant, independent and pragmatic generation. They are more entrepreneurial and less likely to be attracted to a bureaucratic structure. They wantthe freedom to try new things in new ways. They are first "Information Age" generation and like working with technology. They are comfortable working alone or in virtual teams. They hate endless meetings, discussing opinions and debating the issue. They are bottom line, to the point, result oriented workers.
They are self-learners, who will comfortably surf the web for information and resources. They are not interested in leadership positions that require additional personal and professional time. They are comfortable with leadership that changes from project to project, and they enjoy opportunities to work with a variety of leadership styles.
Xers are very different from their Boomer parents who like working in teams to explore alternatives and identify strategies. Boomers value face-to-face meetings that support interpersonal relationships, and they are comfortable making commitments and assuming leadership roles. Boomers prefer collective action while Xers prefer autonomy, flexibility and independence.
Xers do not connect with their grandparent's concept of volunteerism ascivic duty. Nor do they buy into their parent's optimism about changing the world. In almost all things Xers look for the personal connection. Volunteerismis a highly personal activity about making a difference in the life of one person. Shaped by incidences like the Challenger explosion and Columbine High Schoolincident, many Xers feel powerless to change the world, but do feel capable of being a friend to one high school student, or one sick child or one elderly person. Because they are very results oriented they prefer to focus on local, not global issues, on tangible results, not idealism. Consider the parallel between volunteerism and sports.
The sports associated with this generation [Xers] are independent activities, even when done in groups, which is often the case. Take, for example, snowboarding, mountain biking, roller-blading, and rock climbing. You'll often see Xers doing these activities in groups, butthey could just as well be doing them alone. There are millions of young people participating in all manner of team sports like football, hockey, soccer and basketball, but when you think of sports "invented" by Xers, they tend to be individual efforts. (Zemke, Raines, Filipczak, 2000, p.116)
But, just as Gen Xers are coming into their own, the next generation ispushing at their heels. The Nexters (born 1981-1994) are as different from Xersas Xers are different from Boomers. Sometimes referred to a corps of good scouts or the next institution builder, they show signs of being very socially conscious. Shaped by a strong economy, highly involved parents, technology and pressure to achieve, this well educated, diverse generation is idealistic, optimistic,self assured and attracted to collective action. Yes, they harken back to their grandparent's values and like coming together around issues and causes they are passionate about. Unlike their boomer parents who are process oriented, or their Xer colleagues who are results oriented, the Nexters are mission oriented. They look for variety, stimulation and "push button" action. These independent mined young people are searching for their causes.
Attracting and retaining today's younger volunteers requires new approaches and the ability to be flexible, adaptive and responsive to changing generational perceptions and attitudes.
Marketing to Xers:
Marketing to Nexters:
References
Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling Alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon and Schuster.
"The future of volunteering. The Changing face of the volunteer, younger, busier, and more diverse." (2001). Optimist Magazine, January 2001. [downloaded 10/18/2002: www.optimist.org/archives]
Tulgan, B. (1997). Managing generation X. Santa Monica, CA: Merritt Publishing.
Zemke, R., Raines, C., & Filipczak, B. (2000). Generations at work:Managing the clash of veterans, boomers, Xers, and Nexters in your workplace. New York, NY: American Management Association Publications.
This article was published in Leadership Magazine, 2003.