Baby Boomers

With over 77 million baby boomers comprising approximately 28% of the U.S. population, this generation represents an enormous potential for volunteers. Aside from being the largest demographic in terms of numbers, baby boomers also represent the highest volunteer rate of any generational age group. Even as baby boomers approach retirement, their desire to contribute to their communities does not waver. What Motivates Boomers to Volunteer? Before we dive deeper into the discussion of ways to attract baby boomers to your organization, we must first understand why they volunteer. In order to keep boomers engaged, volunteer managers must resist the temptation to fill unskilled or lower-level positions with volunteers who are eager to contribute at a higher level. Providing a meaningful and challenging experience is crucial to attracting and keeping baby boomers involved. Rethinking Volunteer Management - Tips for Attracting and Retaining Baby Boomer Volunteers. For organizations looking to attract boomer volunteers, there are some important things to keep in mind to ensure your volunteer environment appeals to the needs of this generation. Offered below are some key recommendations for attracting and retaining baby boomer volunteers.

Provide a Meaningful Volunteer Experience. Baby boomers will seek out organizations where they can use their skills and know-how to positively impact society. Some organizations are even beginning to place baby boomer volunteers in key areas such as strategic planning, program development, information technology, and training/education.

Establishing a professional working relationship with boomers can result in a win-win situation for both the nonprofit and the individual volunteer.

Offer Different Levels of Time Commitment. Remember, boomers are busy people. Likewise, consider offering family volunteer opportunities that allow them make a difference and, at the same time, spend valuable time with family.

Baby boomers don't see themselves as "aging". Rather, boomers view retirement as a time to pursue new interests and do things they never before had time for. Therefore, promotional materials should include images of baby boomers participating in new, unexpected opportunities. Train, Organize, and Manage Volunteers. Baby boomers need to see that their time and talents are being used effectively and efficiently. If your volunteer program is unorganized or lacks leadership, you will struggle to retain boomer volunteers. Before attempting to recruit baby boomers, make sure you have a strategic plan in place to handle the increase in potential volunteers. Many organizations turn to online volunteer management systems to help with the scheduling, organization, and management of volunteers. Likewise, nonprofits should also provide meaningful training opportunities for boomers to help them reach their full potential as a volunteers.

Reach Boomers Through Religious Entities. According to the 2011 Volunteering in America Study, boomers typically volunteer through religious organizations. VolunteerHub is a cloud-based platform, designed to help nonprofits schedule, register, track, and recruit volunteers.

Sometimes, like having a baby, creating baby scrapbook ideas can be a large part of your life.

A great plan for baby scrapbook ideas is to create some of the album pages ahead of time. Have Time For a Class?

There are scrapbook classes available online and you'll discover assistance from trained experts on how to make the first scrapbook for your newborn baby. This time you have a plan. Baby scrapbook ideas may come from others and through their ideas be able to have your own unique scrapbook.