6 Keys for Fundraisers to Keep Baby Boomer Volunteers Engaged

Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a holiday that often emphasizes the importance of volunteering to help out the community at large. It is also a holiday that the baby boomer generation identifies with deeply, having grown up during the civil rights movement and witnessing the life and death of Martin Luther King Jr.

"Baby boomers are changing the face of volunteerism, just as they have so many aspects of our culture,” said Bill Spink, chief creative officer of marketing specialist DMW Direct, in a press release. “Nonprofit organizations, as well as marketers engaging with 50+ consumers in social media, will want to take special care when working with this generation of volunteers.”

A growing number of boomers are volunteering to help make a difference. However, they tend to approach volunteering differently than other generations.

In the press release, DMW Direct offers six tips to keep boomer volunteers engaged and active in the cause:

1. Boomers want to volunteer in roles that utilize their particular skills and interests.
2. Many prefer to volunteer as part of a group of friends or with their families.
3. Baby boomers view volunteering as an opportunity to do good and explore new interests, not as an obligation.
4. Nonprofits must be flexible in terms of scheduling. Boomers have busy lifestyles and respond best to short-term timelines with clear start and finish dates.
5. Organization is key. Boomers don't like to feel like their time is being wasted.
6. Treat boomers as colleagues because they are more likely to resist authority.