Engaging Baby Boomers

& ASSOCIATES © 2009

Denver DOVIA - Advanced

Practitioners Symposium

May 27, 2009

Engaging Baby Boomers

in Volunteerism

& ASSOCIATES © 2009Flickr: aussiegal

“A social revolution –

possibly as important

as the one led by

Boomers in the 1960s –

will occur if nonprofits

strategically engage

Boomers in high-

impact collaborations

that build a nonprofit’s

capacity to fulfill its

vision and mission…

Boomers will lead the

way to a new era.”

— Page 18 Chapter 1 Understanding the World

of Boomers

& ASSOCIATES © 2009Flickr: sean dreilinger

“It takes more than a few

new strategies and

examples to engage

Boomers as volunteers. It

takes reimagining the role

of volunteers in an

organization and the

possible results of involving

volunteers in every aspect

of operations.”

— Page 22 Chapter 1 Understanding the World of

Boomers


Boomer Friendly

Organizations

Mandate from the top;

cultivate from within

Authentic volunteer leadership

Career paths for volunteer talent

Culture of innovation and flexibility

Embrace collaboration

Flickr: lindsey_lissau

& ASSOCIATES © 2009Flickr: jaypeg21

Flexibility

Control

Achievement

Collaboration

Partners

Boomers

Leading

Change

& ASSOCIATES © 2009Flickr: lindsey_lissau

Boomers Leading Change

Entrepreneurial

Self-Directed

Skills Based

Desire Flexibility &

Control

& ASSOCIATES © 2009Flickr: Vilhelm Sjostrom

Restructuring for

Innovation


• Volunteer Management

Where are you now?

• Volunteer Engagement

Where do you need to be?


Strategies

Flicker: voj


The Initiative

The right people

Context

Pilot program

Work plan

Accountability


Needs Assessment

What can you realign?

What are the strategic priorities for your organization?

Where are the opportunities for your organization?

What are your dreams?


Critical Intervention

Points

An element of behavior, policy, or

process that presents an

opportunity to be affected

through strategic volunteer

engagement and that, if

successfully implemented,

makes significant change for a

positive result.

Organizations that are highly effective in the

engagement of volunteers consistently

display a high degree of shared leadership.

Merrill & Associates, 1996

Flickr: ByrnesyliamFlickr: Stephen Dyrgas

& ASSOCIATES © 2009Flickr: Stephen Dyrgas

Critical Intervention Points

What is critical?

• Critical intervention points lead to turning points; they are crucial or decisive; often essential and indispensable.

• Outcome alignment?

• Urgency?

• Relevance?


Choose a meaningful place to intervene

• Has potential to create powerful results

• Mitigates or prevents a crisis

• Moves an initiative forward

• Solves a problem

• Meets an objective

• Creates momentum

Critical Intervention Points


Critical Intervention Point

Questions

Will it come as a surprise to any key stakeholders?

What changes to current practice are needed?

Do existing volunteers have the expertise and time to carry this out – or to be trained?

What are/aren’t you willing to invest?

Is it sustainable?


Creating OpportunitiesGiving volunteers the least important

assignments is not an effective

strategy for capacity building.

Flickr: ikes

& ASSOCIATES © 2009Flickr: sreymer

Volunteer Roles

Seasonal Virtual

SubstituteTeam

Volunteering


Volunteer Roles

Project Manager

Advocate

Job SharingTrial

Engagement


Volunteer Roles

Rotation Task Force

Segmentation


Volunteer Roles

Consultant

• Provide professional skills and/or content expertise

Coach

• Share wisdom and advice in a content area

Mentor

• Provide support


Volunteer Position

Descriptions

Title

Key Responsibilities

Impact and Outcome

Training and Support

Commitment

Qualifications

Benefits to the Volunteer


Volunteers who are ready to move up, and thus move the organization forward, often:

Express aspirations

Take initiative

Ask great questions

Offer solutions

Problem solve well

Whom do you want to cultivate?

& ASSOCIATES © 2009Flickr: ex.libris

Cultivation of Boomer Volunteers

Gateway behaviors

Existing volunteers

Circles of influence


The

Individual

Volunteer

Plan (IVP)


Nurturing the Relationship:

Support

Flickr: Glover Bryant Communications

Collaborate all of the time

Empower volunteers

Volunteers leading other volunteers

Provide support not supervision

Acknowledgment


Negotiation

Flickr: thinkpanama

Preparing for negotiation

While negotiating

Negotiation tips

& ASSOCIATES © 2009Flickr: thinkpanama

Preparing for Negotiation

• Define the position in terms of results

• Determine the level of authority for the position

• Anticipate accomplishments and this person’s accountability for each

• Define what success looks like


While Negotiating• Communicate applicable guidelines,

policies, and procedures

• Discuss additional recruitment needed (by you or the candidate)

• Share availability and accessibility of resources

• Agree on structural and timeline options


Negotiating Tips

• Use questions, not directives

• Stay balanced; follow statements of what you need by asking what s/he needs

• Come to agreements rather than dictating

• Avoid telling her/him how to do it


Checking Progress

Flickr: Chaval Brasil

Checking Progress

•When do you meet?

•About what?

•What to do if agreements

aren’t met.


Checking Progress


Checking Progress

Does my volunteer leader:Know what s/he is supposed to accomplish?Have sufficient authority to accomplish it?Know how we have agreed to measure success? Know whether s/he is succeeding?


Checking Progress


Checking Progress

Does my volunteer leader:Have the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed?Understand his/her responsibility? Have I organized and communicated that clearly?Feel recognized for his/her contribution to the negotiation, project, team, etc? Have I created that recognition?


Creating the Case

Flickr: llawliet

Create your vision of what will be different

Create an elevator speech

Plan where to use the speech

Tell powerful stories early and often


What do you do?

Why should I care?

Can you explain it in 30 seconds?

In plain English?The

Elevator

SpeechFlickr: lrargerich

& ASSOCIATES © 2009Flickr: ktvyeow

.

Sustaining the Collaboration:

Ongoing Engagement

Measure feedback

and progress

Identify your champions

Share your stories

Dialogue throughout

Inspire others


What will

you do

differently

when you

walk out this

door?Flickr: Niko Si


Downloadable PDFs available at:

www.boomervolunteerengagement.org

Boomer Volunteer Engagement:

Collaborate Today, Thrive Tomorrow


Thank you!

I am a co-creator, an active agent, in

this universe who makes things

happen. If I want the world to change, I

have to change it.

Danah Zohar

Business

Engaging Baby Boomers