Volunteers in Canada make a significant contribution, doing the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of full-time jobs. And older volunteers put in the most volunteer hours of any age group. The question now, says Marlene Deboisbriand, president of Ottawa-based Volunteer Canada, is whether the baby boomers will volunteer when they retire.
The 2004 National Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating shows boomers currently volunteer at good rates. Of survey respondents aged 45 to 54, 47% volunteer, with an average of 177 hours a year. Of respondents aged 55 to 64, 42% volunteer an average of 202 hours a year each. “But will that change when they retire?” Deboisbriand asks.
“The baby boomers don’t behave the way previous generations have,” she notes. “Many of them don’t want to retire the way their parents did. Will they choose volunteering over golf?
“We need to capture their skills, imagination and time. In future decades, because of the boomers’ large numbers, we’ll need more social services programs, and the supply may not meet the demand. Younger, active boomers could play an important role helping others.”
Agencies usually screen volunteers and ask for a commitment of so many hours a week.
“Non-profit and charitable organizations may have to become more flexible, such as allowing snowbird volunteers time to travel in the winter,” says Deboisbriand. “The challenge is to come up with strategies that can be used at the grassroots level.”
— Rosemary McCracken