Older Volunteers

Books on this topic

Articles, book excerpts, and reports on this topic:

"Boomnet": Capturing the Baby Boomer Volunteers - Australian research study by Dr. Judy Esmond highlighting what might make Baby Boomers different from current older volunteers (42-page PDF)

"Boomnet to Boomnot" - Part 2 of the research study on Baby Boomers and Volunteering in Australia, by Judy Esmond, 2002 (28-page PDF)

The Future of Old Age, from the book Older Volunteers

Older Volunteers/Aging in Place, from What We Learned (the Hard Way) about Supervising Volunteers

Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement, Harvard School of Public Health–MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement, 2004 (162-page PDF)
A Review of the Home Office Volunteers Initiative, a UK report issued in 2002 (80-page PDF)
There Are Real Benefits to Volunteering, by the US Administration on Aging
Time and Money: An In-Depth Look at 45+ Volunteers and Donors, 2003 study by AARP on the extent of volunteering by older Americans, including informal helping and attention to ethnic minorities.

Tips for Recruiting and Managing Older Volunteers by Leah Kirkman, 2003 article on the Chronicle of Philanthropy's Philanthropy Careers Web site.

Free electronic books on this topic:

Appealing to Experience: Zeroing in on the Right Message

From Experience Corps, this 44-page booklet discusses how to recruit seniors into volunteering (2005).

Community Treasures: Recognizing the Contributions of Older Immigrants and Refugees

Report from Temple University's Center for Intergenerational Learning on a study to gain a better understanding of why and how older immigrants contribute to their families and communities and to identify promising practices that support the engagement of immigrant elders in meaningful roles (64-page PDF, 2008).

Doing Good Well: Engaging Senior Volunteers

From Singapore's National Center on Volunteering and Philanthropy, this

30-page guide shows how organizations have benefited from the skills and commitment of senior volunteers in a wide range of jobs, with tips distilled from NVPC's discussions with NPOs and senior volunteers.

Engaging 50+ Volunteers: A Resource Guide for Agencies
Developed by the Renaissance 50+ project in Ottawa, Canada (French version also available).

Keeping Baby Boomers Volunteering – A Research Brief on Volunteer Retention and Turnover, Corporation for National and Community Service, 2007.

More to Give: Tapping the Talents of the Baby Boomer, Silent and Greatest Generations by John M. Bridgeland, Robert D. Putnam, and Harris L. Wofford for AARP (2008, 46 pg. PDF)

Volunteer Transitions among Older Americans, by Barbara Butrica, Richard W. Johnson, and Sheila R. Zedlewski, from the Urban Institute (2007).

Web sites with useful articles on this topic:

Age Discrimination and Volunteering

http://www.ivr.org.uk/age.htm

On the Institute for Volunteering Research site (UK).

Baby Boomer Volunteer Resources
http://www.allianceonline.org/boomers.page
The Alliance for Nonprofit Management has gathered resources to help nonprofits develop the capacity they need to take advantage of the full spectrum of talents that Baby Boomers have to offer as volunteers.

Boomers in Action

http://www.boomersinaction.net

RSVP of North Central Iowa project, with Boomer volunteer stories.

Boomers Leading Change
http://www.rcfdenver.org/initiatives_blc.htm
A project of the Rose Community Foundation. Site gives research reports and links.

Coming of Age

http://www.comingofage.org/nonprofits/

Free reports on volunteering by Boomers, developed by this program from the Temple University Center for Inergenerational Learning.

Regeneration: Recruiting Older Americans to Serve the Public Good

http://philanthropy.com/regeneration/

Compilation of many articles about senior volunteers, Boomers, etc.

Senior Corps Tech Center
http://seniortechcenter.org/

Resources for American Senior Corps programs focusing on the use of the Internet for recruitment and training.

Senior Volunteers

http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/browse/volunteering-issues/senior-volunteers.html

Examples of senior volunteering around the world, compiled by United Nations Volunteers.

Volunteering and Healthy Aging

http://www.volunteer50plus.ca/

From Volunteer Canada.

Volunteering in the Third Age (VITA)

http://www.wrvs.org.uk/vita/home.htm

UK program to promote the value, impact, and numbers of over 65s volunteering by removing barriers across the voluntary and community sector. See various reports and research in the "Resources" section.

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