Alliance for Nonprofit Management › Resources: Baby Boomer Volunteers

Resources: Baby Boomer Volunteers

As Baby Boomers begin to retire, many of them are turning to volunteer work in nonprofit organizations. Some Boomers are experiencing a disconnect between the kind of support they would like to provide and the kind of volunteer experiences that nonprofits are making available and need. The Alliance has gathered resources to help nonprofits develop the capacity they need to take advantage of the full spectrum of talents that Baby Boomers have to offer.

Resources on Baby Boomer Volunteers

Resources Available Online

50+ Volunteering: Working for Stronger Communities (report)
Published by the Points of Light Foundation (2004)

Active Ageing in Active Communities: Volunteering and the Transition to Retirement
Published by The Foundation by The Policy Press (2005)

Baby Boomer Facts
Published by the Corporation for National and Community Service

Baby Boomers and Volunteering: An Analysis of the Current Population Survey (pdf)
Published by the Corporation for National and Community Service

Baby Boomers and the New Age of Volunteerism (report)
Published by the Corporation for National Service (2001), written by Dawn Lindblom

'BOOMNET' Capturing the Baby Boomer Volunteers (report)
Conducted by Team Consultants and commissioned by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet in partnership with the Department for Community Development (2001)

Candy Striper, My Ass! A Culture Clash is Looming as a High-Powered Wave of Retiring Executives Meets the Genteel World of Volunteerism (article)
Published in Fortune Magazine (2000), written by J. Tanz, J. and T. Spencer

Change Ahead: The 2004 Nonprofit Executive Leadership and Transitions Survey
Published by The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2005)

How Long Do Boomers Plan To Work? (2007)
Published by Urban Institute's Older Americans' Economic Security Series

Expanding the Boundaries of Corporate Volunteerism – Retirees as a Valuable Resource (report)
Published by The Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College and Volunteers of America (2005)

Make Room for Boomers (article)
Published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy (2005), written by Suzanne Perry

Marketing Volunteer Opportunities to Baby Boomers (report)
Published by the Center on Aging, University of Maryland (2001), written by Laura Wilson and Jack Steele

Racial Differences in Baby Boomers' Retirement Expectations (2007)
Published by Urban Institute's Older Americans' Economic Security Series

Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement (report)
Published by the Harvard School of Public Health & MetLife Foundation (2004)

RespectAbility Initiative - Understanding the capacity of nonprofits to engage older adults as volunteers (Survey Results, pdf)
Published by the National Council on Aging (2005)

Senior Volunteers: Solutions waiting to happen (book chapter, pdf)
Written by Elisabeth Hoodless (2003)

The Strength of the Infrastructure of Volunteer Agencies and Its Capacity to Absorb "Baby Boomer" Volunteers (report)
Published by the Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network (2003)

Volunteer Management: Recruiting, Retaining and Training
Written by Ruth M. Schimel, Ph.D. (2002)

Articles from CharityChannel's Volunteer Management Review eNewsletter

Creating Boomer-friendly Volunteer Opportunities: Part 1: Restructuring Existing Opportunities
D. Scott Martin (2006)

Creating Boomer-Friendly Volunteer Opportunities, Part 2: Developing Skilled Short-term Projects
D. Scott Martin (2006)

Creating Boomer-Friendly Volunteer Opportunities, Part 3: Groups
D. Scott Martin (2006)

Get Outside the 'Box' and Look In -- Take a New Look at What Your Program Has to Offer and Capitalize on it to Recruit Volunteers
Lisa Kay Schweyer (2006)

Meet Generation Jones: The Potential Volunteers You May Be Missing
Susan Moscareillo (2002)

Retiring With Dignity: Volunteer Emeritus Programs
Michael Lee Stills (2003)

Talking To Baby Boomers about Volunteering - Part 1: Third Quarter of Life Passions
D. Scott Martin (2005)

Talking to Baby Boomers about Volunteering - Part 2: Volunteering As a Career Transition Strategy
D. Scott Martin (2005)

The End of Retirement as We Know It: New Challenge for Volunteer Programs
Nan Hawthorne (2002)

Resources in Print

Baby Boomers and the New Age of Volunteerism
Published by the Corporation for National Service (2001), written by Dawn Lindblom

Civic Engagement and the Baby Boomer Generation: Research, Policy, and Practice Perspectives
Published by Haworth Press (2006), edited by Laura B. Wilson and Sharon P. Simson, Ph.D., Ph.D.

Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America
Published by PublicAffairs (2002), written by Marc Freedman

Baby Boomers and Board Governance Resources

Governance as Leadership (book)
Published by John Wiley & Sons (2004), written by Richard P. Chait, William P. Ryan, Barbara E. Taylor

The Elephant in the Board Room: Round I (article)
Published in Grassroots Fundraising Journal (Mar/Apr 2006 Issue), written by Kim Klein, Amanda Ballard and Manami Kano