Merrill Associates

A flurry of articles about the impending retirement of 77 million baby boomers crossed my desk this last month. Several have important implication for the voluntary sector and manager of volunteers.

Everyone is watching the Boomers. They are the largest generation in U.S. history (also the largest generation in much of the industrialized world) and by sheer numbers continue to affect everything in American life – work, leisure, consumerism, housing, funerals, and volunteerism. A recent article reported that funeral directors are becoming event managers, as boomers require services that include photos, videos and personalized music. The influence of this generation is everywhere.

AARP released ten reports on boomers and retirement and one on boomers and civic engagement in the last 12 months. This year many states are hosting local conferences on aging in preparation for a White House Conference on Aging in October 23-26. The conference theme is “The Booming Dynamics of Aging: From Awareness to Action.” Past White House Conferences on Aging have contributed to the establishment of the National Institute on Aging (Cresson, 2005), which recently created the RespectAbility initiative (http://www.respectability.org/) to help non-profit organizations make more effective use of older Americans in their community-based efforts.

The aging boomers can expect to live 25-30 years after retirement.

Health and longevity have been stretched, creating the possibility of a new decades-long stage of life between the career- and family-building phase and the onset of true old age. No generally accepted term describes this emerging phase, but an ever-growing array of labels coveys its excitement: ‘the third age,’ ‘the second act,’ ‘my time,’ ‘the second adulthood,’ and ‘prime time.’ All of these are preferable to ‘retirement,’ which comes from the Old French word, retyrer, meaning to go off into seclusion. (Freedman & Moen, 2005).

The concept of retirement is becoming outdated, says Allan Zaback, Director of the Delaware Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities. Flexibility is the new concept, because mature workers have experience, knowledge and expertise. Smart corporations are finding ways to entice experienced workers to remain on the job if they are healthy. (Cresson, 2005)

All of this research focused on the boomers highlights the different approach this generation is planning for retirement. Work continues to be a primary interest for this workaholic generation. “According to a 2004 AARP study, nearly 80 percent of boomers are planning to continue in paid labor during the traditional retirement years” (Freedman & Moen, 2005). An earlier AARP study (1998) found that 33 percent of boomers were financially unprepared or apprehensive about retirement and would work because they have insufficient reserves for retirement. An additional 50 percent indicated they would work not for the income, but rather for the interest and enjoyment they find in work. This means many nonprofits will be competing with the employment market for older volunteers. Additional research suggests many retirees will seek new post-retirement careers in the nonprofit, education and health care fields, as they combine skills with passion. These findings reminded me of a good friend who retired as a chemical engineer, pursued a second career as a baker and now is in college to become a registered nurse. He says he loves the flexibility retirement has given him to pursue his interests and passions.

As these highly skilled boomers march full force into the Third Age, many employers and nonprofits may find themselves unprepared for the demands of this generation. There are countless stories of highly skilled aging boomers being slotted into traditional volunteer opportunities that offer little appeal or challenge. Fortune magazine (Tanz & Spencer, 2000)) pointed out the frustrations of a retired executive looking for meaningful engagement in a hospital in their article, Candy Striper, My Ass!

Some scholars label the situation ‘structural lag,’ arguing that the population of older people is changing dramatically in nature, in capacities, and in expectations, yet society’s outlook toward this group remains hopelessly behind the time. (Freedman & Moen, 2005)

The RespectAbility Initiative released results in March 2005 of a survey of large national non-profit organizations that shows they are largely unequipped to use older Americans as volunteers. Preliminary focus groups and telephone interviews with national and local non-profit leaders identified the following issues:

• The engagement of boomers as volunteer and employees will bring unprecedented skills, energy and experience to non-profits
• There is skepticism about the willingness of boomers to commit to volunteer causes
• Boomer volunteers will seek engagements in which they perceive they can make an immediate impact
• Volunteer activities may need to change to attract boomers
• Flexibility will be critical to recruiting and retaining these volunteers
• To effectively develop roles and engage boomers there must be a person whose primary duty is to supervise the activities of volunteers

Leaders at all levels acknowledged the need for improved and more professional planning, leading, managing, and administering volunteer and service initiatives of older adults. . . Because volunteer coordinators (or individuals in similar leadership positions, with broader responsibility and authority) play such a pivotal role, a national program to train and to certify volunteer coordinators or human resource development specialist could be an important resource to for local nonprofit organizations. (National Council on Aging, 2005, p. 9)

While many in the field of volunteer administration will applaud this finding that support the need for professionals and professional training, there is also clearly a need to begin now to reshape volunteer programs to prepare for the potential influx of volunteers. Four areas require attention.

1. Change marketing messages by moving away from such terms as “senior,” “retirement,” “older” and even “volunteer.” Boomers have an aversion to the aging process and do not identify with more traditional images and language. Gray haired images and stories of annual recognition dinners are not going to appeal to this eternally young generation. Stories should focus on impact, change, innovation, and skills. New titles, such as volunteer consultants and volunteer executives are more attractive to the highly skilled boomers.
   New language, imagery, and stories are needed to help boomers and the general public re-envision the role and value of elders and the meaning and purpose of one’s later years. (Harvard School of Public Health, 2004)
2. Provide a wide range of meaningful volunteer opportunities. Flexibility in terms of volunteer assignments, commitments and timeframes are consistently mentioned as important factors to Baby Boomers. One time or episodic opportunities allow boomers to explore the organization and shop around. Assignments must take into account personal interests and preferences. Analyze current volunteer assignments to see if there are new opportunities to divide existing work or create new opportunities for highly skilled volunteers.
3. Be prepared for new management challenges. Because boomers will be more educated and most, both men and women, have been in the workforce for years they will expect more professional treatment in their volunteer engagement. This group will be used to self-management, project based work, and distance leadership. Managers of Volunteers may find themselves working with volunteers who have held high level management position in the corporate world. They will bring a broad range of management and business skills to their volunteer work. Just as they will not be attracted to many of the traditional volunteer assignments, they will also balk at management systems that do not recognize their personal levels of competence and expertise.
4. Review your incentives and reward program. A variety of studies over the past few years ave discussed the changing view of incentives among boomers. Education, challenging work and tangible rewards are mentioned frequently.

Future Baby Boomer Incentives:

1. Have someone return a service for a service. As an example, help with gardening, shopping and shoveling.
2. Discount on prescription drugs
3. Accrue time dollars that can be cashed in for other services later in life
4. Frequent flier miles
5. Free or discounted tuition
6. Chances, drawings for trips, cultural events
7. Gift certificates for trendy restaurants
8. Stipends

(Lindblom, 2001)

There is continuing evidence that nonprofits will need to rethink and perhaps retool their volunteer programs to effectively engage this new generation of retirees. They will not be easy to attract and retain, but they bring a wealth of skills, knowledge and expertise. There are hints that if they do not find meaningful opportunities with existing organizations, they will use their entrepreneurial skills to create new programs that fit their ideals and their needs. The time to begin this change process is now, before the bulk of the boomers enter their retirement years.

References:

AARP (1998). Baby Boomers Envision Their Retirement. Washington, DC: Roper Starch worldwide, Inc and AARP.

Cresson, J. (2005). Baby boomers forcing changing in aging policies. Cape Gazette. Downloaded May 31, 2004 from: http://www.capegazette.com/storiescurrent/0505/babyboomers052705.html

Freedman, M. (2005). The selling of retirement and how we bought it. Washington Post, February 6, 2005. Downloaded May 15, 2005 from: http://www.civicventures.org/327.html

Freedman, M. & Moen, P. (2005). Academics Pioneer ‘the Third Age.’ Chronicle of Higher Education. Downloaded May 1, 2005 from: http://chronicle.com/weekly/v51/i34/34b00101.htm

Harvard School of Public Health – MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement (2004). Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement. Boston: Self.

Lindblom, D. (2001). Baby Boomers and the New Age of Volunteerism. Washington, DC: Corporation for National Service.

National Council on Aging (2005). RespectAbility Web Survey Executive Summary. Washington DC: Self. Downloaded May 15, 2005 from: http://www.respectability.org/research/survey.pdf

National Council on Aging (2005). Non-profit leaders: Executive Summary. Washington DC: Self. Downloaded May 15, 2005 from: http://www.respectability.org/research/nonprofitleaders.html

Tanz, J. & Spencer, T. (2000). Candy Striper, My Ass! Fortune Magazine. Downloaded August 2000 from: www.fortune.com/fortune/2000/08/14.can2.html