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Baby Boomers today have
the highest volunteer rate of any age group. They also, as this report notes,
volunteer at higher rates than past generations did when they were the same
age. While much attention has focused on how to recruit Baby Boomers into the
ranks of volunteers, relatively little attention has been paid to ensuring that
those who choose to volunteer one year continue to do so the next. Because three
out of every ten Boomer volunteers choose not to volunteer in the following
year, a key aspect of keeping Boomer volunteer rates high is to learn how to
retain existing Boomer volunteers.
To better understand this
dynamic, the Corporation for National and Community Service looked at data collected
by the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2002-2006. The
data trace the volunteer habits of the same sample of Baby Boomers over two
consecutive years, as well as a similar sample of pre-Boomers. This is the first
time that these data sets have been analyzed. Though much work remains to be
done, the hope is that the findings contained herein will help nonprofits and
others gain greater insight into the volunteer preferences of Baby Boomers so
that turnover can be kept to a minimum and the greatest number of Boomers will
remain engaged in their communities in their later years.
Background
Baby Boomers—the
generation of 77 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964—represent
a potential boost to the volunteer world, not only because of the sheer size
of the generation but also because of its members’ high levels of education,
wealth, and skills. Based on U.S. Census data, the number of volunteers age
65 and older will increase 50 percent over the next 13 years, from fewer than
9 million in 2007 to more than 13 million in 2020.
What’s more, that
number will continue to rise for many years to come, as the youngest Baby Boomers
will not reach age 65 until 2029. Harnessing Baby Boomers’ skills and
accommodating their expectations will be critical to solving a wide range of
social problems in the years ahead.
To attract Baby Boomers
to volunteering, experts on aging agree that nonprofit groups and others must
boldly rethink the types of opportunities they offer— to “re-imagine”
roles for older American volunteers that cater to Boomers’ skills and
desire to make their mark in their own way. This is vitally important to ensuring
that the potential of this vast resource is tapped to its fullest.
While much attention has
focused on how to recruit Baby Boomers as volunteers, relatively little attention
has been paid to ensuring that those who volunteer one year continue to do so
the next. The importance of volunteer retention should not be underestimated.
Despite their reputation for self-centeredness, Baby Boomers today have the
highest volunteer rate of any age group. They also, as this report notes, volunteer
at higher rates than past generations did when they were the same age. Because
3 out of every 10 Baby Boomer volunteers choose not to volunteer in the following
year, and since Baby Boomers are the next generation of older adults, it is
important to understand how best to capture their experience and energy and
what factors will impact their decision to volunteer from year to year.
To examine this further,
the Corporation for National and Community Service has analyzed data collected
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census as part of its regular
decennial Census, as well as data collected in 1974, 1989, and from 2002 to
2006 as part of a special Volunteer Supplement to the Current Population Survey.
The data trace the volunteer habits of the same sample of Baby Boomers over
two consecutive years, as well as a similar sample of pre- Boomers. Here are
some findings about Baby Boomers gleaned from that research:
KEY FINDINGS
Baby Boomers volunteer
today at higher rates than past generations did at roughly the same age.
At 30.9 percent, the volunteer
rate for those ages 46 to 57 today, who make up the majority of the Baby Boomers,
is significantly higher than both the 25.3
percent recorded by the same age cohort in 1974 (Greatest Generation, born 1910-1930)
and the 23.2 percent recorded in 1989 (Silent Generation, born 1931-1945). Baby
Boomers were volunteering at lower rates than their predecessors while in their
30s, but that trend has reversed.
Remaining in the
workforce increases the likelihood that a Baby Boomer will continue to volunteer.
69.3 percent of Baby Boomer
volunteers who experience no change in their labor status continue to volunteer
the following year, compared to 60.5 percent of those who move out of the workforce.
Baby Boomers’
relatively high volunteer rate is tied to their education level and propensity
to have children later in life.
Education levels and whether
one has children are two key predictors of volunteer levels; the factors account
in part for the fact that the volunteer rate for Baby Boomer is peaking later
in life than past generations. In fact, mid-life adults (ages 45 to 64) are
nearly three times as likely to have a four-year college degree today as they
were 15 years ago (from 11.5% to 29.5%).
Once their children leave,
Baby Boomers could maintain relatively high volunteer rates because of their
higher education levels and expectations that they will work later in life than
previous generations, two factors connected to higher volunteer rates.
Baby Boomers appear
to have different volunteer interests than past generations.
In the past 15 years, there
has been a change in the types of organizations with which people ages 41 to
59 volunteer. While volunteering through religious organizations is still the
most popular venue for volunteer participation, volunteering with educational
organizations has grown and is now the second most common venue for adult volunteers
in this age range
(Boomers). In 1989, when the Silent and Greatest Generations were between ages
41 to 59, the second most poular type of volunteer organization was civic, political,
business, and international.
Baby Boomers who
engage in professional or management volunteer activities are the most likely
to volunteer from year to year.
The year-to-year retention
rate for Baby Boomer volunteers who perform more challenging assignments, such
as professional or management activities (like strategic planning, volunteer
management and coordination, and marketing) is the highest, at 74.8
percent, followed by Baby Boomers who engage in music or other performance arts
(70.9%) and those who do tutoring, mentoring, and coaching (70.3%).
Baby Boomers who
engage in general labor or supply transportation are the least likely to volunteer
the following year.
The year-to-year retention
rate for Baby Boomer volunteers who do general labor and supply transportation
is the lowest, at 55.6 percent.
The more hours a
Baby Boomer devotes to volunteering, the more likely he or she will volunteer
from year to year.
As annual volunteer hours
among Baby Boomers increase, so do volunteer retention rates, making volunteering
a “virtuous cycle.” Nearly 8 of 10 Baby Boomer volunteers who serve
100 to 499 hours a year volunteer again the following year, compared to just
over 5 in 10 who serve 1 to 14 hours. In between, nearly 74 percent of those
who give 50 to 99 hours continue to volunteer the following year. Likewise,
79 percent of volunteers continue volunteering when they serve 12 or more weeks
a year.
Research Implications
The hope is that the findings
contained herein will help nonprofits and others gain greater insight into the
volunteer preferences of Baby Boomers. If the nonprofit community can rethink
how to utilize Baby Boomers as volunteers, turnover will be kept to a
minimum and the greatest number of Boomers will remain engaged in their communities.
Nonprofits should look
to put Baby Boomers’ skills to use in order to retain them as volunteers,
as Baby Boomers are seeking challenging opportunities. Nonprofits also need
to strengthen their view of volunteers as assets, similar to how they view their
donors and how employers view their employees. The more positive experiences
a volunteer has, the more likely he or she is to return, just as with an employee
or donor.
Adoption of key practices,
such as matching volunteers with appropriate and challenging assignments, providing
professional development opportunities for volunteers, and treating volunteers
as valued partners, can help build organizational capacity
to increase volunteer participation, and also sustain it.
Since volunteering and
giving are related, and trillions of dollars are expected to be given to charity
in the coming decades, it makes sense for nonprofits to find ways of encouraging
substantial volunteering because it could eventually produce considerable
monetary gifts.
Source : National
Corporation for Community & Public Service.
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