Volunteer Trends in the

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Volunteer Trends in the 21st Century
Dr. Sarah Jane Rehnborg RGK Center for
Philanthropy and Community Service University. of
Texas at Austin September 30, 2005
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Today Seniors contribute more time
Seniors contribute in different ways.
Those 65 and older contributed a median of 96
hours annually compared to the 52 annual hours of
other Americans. And volunteers 55 and over use
the time they devote to service in slightly
different ways than do volunteers younger than 55.
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Time Use Examples
Seniors are more likely to be engaged in
administrative and support activities food
preparation and related activities indoor and
outdoor maintenance, repair clean-up public
health activities
Seniors are less likely to spend as much time
traveling to their service destination as younger
volunteers
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In addition
Seniors are more likely to devote time to
volunteering on Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
and Mondays (in that order) and they
devote more time on those days to service than do
their younger counterparts.
Source on time use information American Time Use
Survey, 2003. Department of Labor.
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Civic engagement will be at least a fairly
important part of retirement according to 56 of
the respondents to an AARP survey. Yet, nearly
half of all retirees (45) expect to continue
working into their 70s or later.
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The trends suggest that a new life-stage is
emerging the Third Age or Midcourse
that encompasses the 50s, 60s and even the 70s.
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The Third Age is about
launching second or third careers developing new
identities and new ways of productive
engagement new patterns of relating to spouses,
children, siblings, friends parents enacting
role shifts that are products of their past and
precursors to their future life course
Seniors are on the move
on the move to something else
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Top Motivations to Volunteer

• Personal responsibility to help others - 65
• Makes life more satisfying - 58
• Organization has established track record - 51
• Help own community - 50
• Make a difference on an issue - 49
• Keeps you active - 46
• Someone you know was affected - 44
• Religious beliefs - 42
• Opportunity to use skills - 42

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So what does this mean?

• Seniors want to serve. Groups and organizations
  must have the capacity to engage sustain senior
  volunteer involvement.
• Capacity requires top level support, A vision for
  volunteer involvement,a management
  infrastructure, and staff evaluated in part on
  their capacity to work with volunteers.

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• Infrastructure requires funding, yet few
  foundations or public sector grant programs fund
  infrastructure or operating expenses.
• Federal legislation must expand beyond public
  safety and CNCS service initiatives. Other
  federal agencies (Interior, Agricultural,
  Veterans Affairs, SBA, etc.) engage volunteers
  effectively. Collaborate, learn from their
  success and expand the vision for seniors in
  service in the 21st Century.

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But Remember.

• In the final analysis, older volunteers are
  volunteers who have aged. Fostering a culture
  of service begins early in life and is greatly
  enhanced through family service opportunities.
  Legislative should facilitate senior service
  while promoting a national culture of caring,
  serving and giving.