Engaging Boomer Volunteers in your Library

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Engaging Boomer Volunteers in your Library
Jennifer Bennett, Manager of Volunteer Programs,
VolunteerMatch
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Agenda

• Introductions
• Overview
• What We Know About the Boomers
• Boomers as Volunteers
• Engaging Boomers in your Organization
• Resources

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What We Know About Boomers

• Not a traditional retirement model
• Expect to work and to volunteer
• Motivated by passion and impact
• Want to see results
• Expect to leave a social legacy
• Involved in social activism in youth
• Dont join social organizations Rotary, etc.
• Prefer to create own connections
• Want life-long learning
• New skills, new experiences

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Motivations Vary by Age
What is the most important reason you volunteer?
All Users
266
593
619
460
282
77
Source Hart Survey of Volunteers (N2,316)
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Older Volunteers Would Prefer to Make Use of
Their Skills
... which of the following statements best
describes the kind of activity you prefer?
All Users
Source Hart Survey of Volunteers (N2,316)
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Engaging Boomers

• Engaging Boomers
• increases capacity beyond staff limitations
• Increases organizational impact
• Expands skills
• Extends NPs circle of influence
• Frees employees to handle critical initiatives
• Engaging boomers allows you to move the focus of
  your work beyond the daily tasks to the strategic
  work of the organization.

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Making Boomers Part of Your Team

• Impactful work should be the domain of the whole
  team
• Paid and Unpaid
• Create capacity, Dream bigger, Reach more
• Profound Transition for your Organization
• Welcome all generations as collaborative partners
• Range in Boomer generation(s)

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Not Surprisingly Older Adults Are More Likely to
Have a Variety of Professional Skills
Do you currently use or have you previously used
any of the following skills in your professional
career?
All volunteers
Source Hart Survey of Volunteers (N2,316 total,
978 volunteers aged 40)
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With Few Exceptions These Skills Are
Underutilized
Do you currently use or have previously used any
of the following skills in your professional
career? Have you ever used any of the following
skills when volunteering in the past?
Used skill volunteering
Source Hart Survey of Volunteers (N2,316 total,
978 volunteers aged 40)
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Think Bigger

• Expand volunteer jobs to be bigger and have more
  of an impact.
• Recruit a CPA to update accounting system
• IT needs for next 5 years
• Expand your perspective of what volunteers can do.

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Volunteering More
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Volunteering Much More
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The Boomer Model

• Engage earlier allow them to ask the big
  questions, look for the answers and develop the
  outcomes
• Program design, vision and implementation
• Old Model build the position and the volunteer
  will come
• New Model you identify the need/problem and the
  volunteer creates the position
• Buy in, richer experience for both volunteer and
  organization

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How Do You Make this Happen?

• Identify Need or Problem
• Find the Talents and Skills to Solve the Problem
• Work with Volunteer to Develop Projects
• Key Deliverables Outcomes
• Accountabilities
• Timeline
• Evaluation
• Identify Success

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Finding the Talent

• Communication Plan
• Research Existing Volunteer Pool for Candidates
• Recruit from Outside your Organization
• Screening the Candidates
• The Art of Saying No

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Making it Happen

• The Zen of Delegation
• Letting Go Without Letting Go
• Outlining Clear Accountabilities
• Milestones and Progress Reports
• Building The Box
• The outcome is more important than the process
• Managing Expectations
• Memo of Understanding
• Approach as if engaging a paid consultant

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Things to Think About

• Start Small
• Work with your Champions
• Tout Successes
• Dont Force It
• Exit Plan
• Dont Give Up, Return to the Phase Where the
  Project went Awry

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• Questions?

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Thanks for attending!

• For any questions contact
• Jennifer Bennett
• 415-321-3639
• jbennett_at_volunteermatch.org
• VolunteerMatch Support
• 415-241-6872
• californialibraries_support_at_volunteermatch.org