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The Volunteer Challenge. Communicating & Engaging Multiple Generations. What Is A Volunteer?. What Is A Volunteer – Really?. Why V olunteer?. Why Volunteer?. Volunteering in the U.S .*. * www.volunteeringinamerica.gov, 2010. Volunteering in the U.S. *www.volunteeringinamerica.gov, 2010
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The Volunteer Challenge Communicating & Engaging Multiple Generations
Volunteering in the U.S.* *www.volunteeringinamerica.gov, 2010
Volunteering in the U.S. *www.volunteeringinamerica.gov, 2010 **www.independentsector.org, 2011
Volunteering in the US – 2001* *Study conducted by Independent Sector
Source: Smith, J. W. & Clurman, A. (1997) Rocking the Ages. Harper Business. A Note of Caution:
The New Deal The Great Depression
Veterans Working & Volunteering Asset: • Stable • Detail oriented • Work experience • Loyal • Customer Service • Altruistic Limitations: • Uncomfortable with ambiguity & change • Reluctant to buck the system • Uncomfortable with conflict • “We’ve always done it that way” response
They expect and deliver no-nonsense performance. They define the workplace based on military hierarchy. Respect for authority with clear privileges is given to each level in the organization. • One in ten has a PC at home. Less than one in ten watches videos regularly. They read the newspaper daily and watch the nightly news. They want to work in an atmosphere with a personal touch – letters and handwritten notes, not voice mail & e-mails. How their times shaped Veterans
Cuban Missile Crisis Vietnam War Memorial
Boomers Working & Volunteering Assets: • Service oriented • Driven/dedicated • Willing to “go the extra mile” • Good at relationships • Want to please • Good team players Limitations: • Not naturally “budget minded” • Uncomfortable with conflict • Put process ahead of results • Sensitive to feedback • Judgmental of those who see things differently
Because there are so many of them, they’ve set the trends for four decades. In the ‘70’s, upscale bars & tennis were all the rage; in the ‘80’s it was BMW’s and Ben & Jerry’s; in the ‘90’s, cholesterol blockers & car-pools; in the 2000’s tummy tucks, Viagra and second homes. How their times shaped Boomers
They were the first generation graded on their report cards for “works well with others” and “shares materials with classmates.” They’ve taken that orientation to work where they’ve promoted team concepts like quality circles, consensus and participative management. As a generation, they’ve used work as a means to prove their worthiness, driving the length of the average work week up and up. They are often workaholics. How their times shaped Boomers
16% Interest Rates for Home Mortgages Downsizing = Job Loss AIDS Latchkey Kids
Cabbage Patch Kids E. T. Did you buy one of these? Sesame Street
Gen X Working & Volunteering Assets: • Adaptable/flexible • Techno-literate • Independent • Not intimidated by authority • Creative Limitations: • Impatient • Poor people skills • Inexperienced • Cynical
The oldest were 13 when President Nixon resigned. Many counseled a parent through an ugly divorce. See themselves as an equal player to ALL ages. Rank & status alone don’t command respect. How their times shaped Gen X
They watched parents and neighbors laid off in the eighties. They don’t have much faith in institutions. They think of themselves as free agents, believing they will earn job security by improving their own skills. They are far less attracted to leadership positions than any other generation. Promotion is not their goal. How their times shaped Gen X
Headline: Recession fears batter markets Dow down 300 - off morning's worst levels - as global selloff accelerates. War in Iraq/Afghanistan Oklahoma City bombing killed 168. Timothy McVeigh was executed June 2001 for his role in the bombing. Chads “hanging or not” 911
Single Parents Television
Team Players $$$College$$$ Connected Wirelessly
Millennial’ s Working & Volunteering Assets: • Loyalty • Optimism tempered with realism • Tolerant • Multi-tasking • Technological savvy Limitations: • Need for supervision & structure • Inexperience, particularly with handling different people issues • Customer service levels are low
E-mail, cell phones and text messaging are this generations’ communication mediums. They are the generation least adept with direct personal communication. They’re young. They don’t know everything so they ask a lot of questions. Seeking information is their skill. Seek immediate responses and immediate feedback on their performance. How their times shaped Millennial's
G e m s • GEMS Model of Volunteer Management: • Generate • Educate • Mobilize • Sustain
Generate: • Needs Assessment • Position Description • Identify • Recruit • Screen • Select
Educate: • Orient • Protect • Resources • Teach