6 Tips for Recruiting Boomer Volunteers

From the HandsOn Network Blog

Why are boomers the future of volunteering? First, because of their sheer size: boomers represent about 77 million potential volunteers. They also have longevity on their side; this group has an average life expectancy of 83 years. That, coupled with higher levels of income and savings than earlier waves of retirees, suggest they have both the time and resources for volunteering.

Could you benefit from boomer volunteers? Here are some tips to help recruit them:

• Boomers may be highly resistant to a group that includes the previous generation. They may be highly resistant to words like “senior”, “older adult”, “golden years”, “mature adult”, etc. Be creative – anecdotal evidence shows that “experienced” may appeal to this demographic. “Experienced” avoids negative connotations associated with aging and highlights the fact that you value their experience and skills.
• Be highly aware of the images used in materials targeted towards boomers. According to the Boomer Project national survey, boomers see themselves as being
• at least 12 years younger than their chronological age. Images of individuals they perceive as “elderly” may be unappealing to boomers – they want to see people who reflect their own self-image.
• Consider using words other than “volunteer” which is often associated with negative images of PTA lunches or menial tasks unappealing to boomers. The Montgomery County Volunteer Center came up with the name “Pro-Bono Consultants” after several volunteers felt as if they were continuing their professional work – but in an unpaid capacity.
• According to the Harvard study, Reinventing Aging, boomers are less likely to volunteer out of a response to civic duty or obligation. For goal-oriented boomers, a message shows how they can make a difference in their community is more effective.
• Boomers may need to have a sense of “what’s in it for me?” Recent studies have shown the health benefits of volunteering, as well as the social benefits that may be important as boomers leave the workplace.
• Bear in mind that boomers may never fully “retire” – they express a strong interest in continuing part-time work or self-employment. Even a boomer who works a few hours a year may not consider themselves “retired” – tailor you messages, as well as your opportunities, accordingly.

Calling all MLK Day 2012 Projects!

I know Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2012 (January 16, 2012) seems so far away. However, it will come up fast!

HandsOn is happy to announce we will be engaging at least 500 volunteers from many groups including Willamette and Corban Universities. You all know what that means! We need your projects. Because of school schedules and the holiday break we need to send projects to groups for sign up before Thanksgiving. Please note you do not need to give us the exact details of what a group would be doing. We just need to know a general idea of what you might have them do (ex. landscaping, cleaning, sorting, etc.) and the minimum and maximum number of volunteers you can accommodate. All projects will need to take place on King Day. However,

Again we need to a rough list of projects by Thanksgiving. Please submit your ideas and needs to Melissa.

We will, of course, also highlight all projects posted on HandsOn Connect after the Thanksgiving deadline. However, if you would like to tap into an almost guaranteed group of volunteers, the sooner we know the details, the better.

Statistics: The dementors of your nonprofit’s story

From Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog, www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com

The most important advice I can give you as a storyteller for your cause is to put a single living creature - not a statistic - at the heart of your story.

To borrow an image from a very accomplished storyteller - JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame - statistics are the dementors of your nonprofit’s story. For those of you who haven’t read the books or seen the movies, dementors are the horrific monsters that suck the souls and happy emotion out of people with a deathly kiss.

If your story stars a statistic, it will suck out the soul of your cause and wring the emotion out of your story. All that will be left is a dry, depressing shell with no heartbeat.

After making this point in a speech last week, a lovely person from a DC-based nonprofit came up to me and said: “But our statistics are so convincing! A third of children in Washington live in poverty. That’s surely the best place to begin a story.”

I said something like this: That is a very sad statistic, but it’s not a story. It’s a fact looking for a person. I encouraged her to tell the story of one child they have helped. Let’s call him Peter. Paint a vivid portrait of all Peter has faced and how the organization has given him the gift of reading and a shot at a future that wasn’t possible before. Then make the point that for every group of three children in Washington, there is one Peter. People will feel that in a way they will never feel 36%.

Numbers aren’t inherently bad, but they aren’t the place to start or end your story. You have to bring forward the living beings behind the stats to forge a true connection. Tell a good story so the facts truly matter.

Holiday Volunteer Opportunities

I know what you are thinking...HandsOn is worse than department stores. It isn't even Halloween yet and we are already talking about the holidays.

Well the truth is people are already thinking about what kind of service they will do this holiday season. I can't tell you how many inquiries HandsOn received last year from people desperate to spread holiday cheer. While many volunteers call us expecting to connect with an opportunity to serve meals to those experiencing homelessness, they are not unwilling to look at other options. So please share your holiday volunteer needs with us! Post your volunteer opportunities on the database. Are you hosting a gift, food or clothing drive? Let us know! Each Holiday Season we dedicate a page on our website to opportunities like these that are wonderful deeds but aren't volunteer opportunities.

Bring Reflection to your Volunteering Programs!

Reflection is a very important aspect of service that is so often forgotten. Check out some tips for incorporating reflection into your programs from the HandsOn Network.

Reflection doesn’t have to be a structured activity – be creative in how you include reflection into service projects!

When you’re planning how to include reflection into service, be sure to remember the following:

• Allow time for reflection. Blocking out some time at the end of a service project for reflection is important. Not just because it’s including reflection in the project, but because allows volunteers to organize their thoughts about the day.
• Directly relate reflection to the service being done. When you’re guiding volunteer reflection, try to keep it focused on the work that was done on that day and the impact that the volunteers’ service had.
• Plan for reflection from the beginning. Be intentional about including reflection from the start of the project planning process.
• Reflection is about learning. The goal of reflection is to learn more about the service that volunteers did and the impact that they have. Volunteers shouldn’t be expected to share anything they’re not comfortable sharing.
• The best reflection isn’t always planned. Be flexible and be prepared to capitalize on teachable moments that may pop up during the day. Reflection doesn’t have to happen at the end of the project.

Not sure how to include reflection into your service projects? Try these easy activities:

• Evaluation: Add a few reflection questions to your written evaluation form, like “How did people respond to you?” or “How does what you did today compare with anything you’ve done in the past?” or “What advice would you give to someone doing this project for the first time?”
• Guest Book: Ask volunteers to sign your organization’s guest book before they leave. Let them know they are free to write anything they would like about their service experience.
• Contribution Cards: Prepare a small card for each volunteer that includes information on how their service contributes to the mission of the organization and how they’ve helped the community. Link their work to broader community issues.
• Lunch Break: Provide a reflection opportunity during a meal break. Provide background material on the social issues your organization addresses on the lunch tables. Provide some sample discussion questions for volunteers to discuss as they eat.

So Who is Volunteering Anyway?

The HandsOn Network has developed a fun and easy to read graphic to sum up the Corporation for National and Community Service's report, Volunteering in America.

Click here to check it out!

*Fun Fact: Did you know Salem jumped 8 spots to be 15th in the nation for volunteerism in mid-sized cities? Pretty awesome, huh?