Why So Few Baby Boomers Are Volunteering - Forbes - 0 views
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Doris Reeves-Lipscomb on 29 May 13article by Richard Eisenberg, Forbes, 4.1.13 he government's annual Volunteering in the United States report just came out and I'm disappointed to report that both the number and percentage of Americans age 45 to 64 who volunteered in the 12 months ending September 2012 fell from the previous year. (I know, boomers are actually age 49 to 67, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't break down the numbers this way.) U.S. Retirement Poll: The Big Lie And The Big Fantasy Richard Eisenberg Richard Eisenberg Contributor Encore Careers for the Rest of Us Richard Eisenberg Richard Eisenberg Contributor Meet The Inspiring 2012 Purpose Prize Winners Selected By Encore.org Richard Eisenberg Richard Eisenberg Contributor The Latest Insider Views On Retirement Richard Eisenberg Richard Eisenberg Contributor The latest figures show that 23.4 million age 45 to 64 volunteered last year, down from 23.9 million in 2011. The percentage who volunteered dropped to 29.3 percent, from 30.6 percent, for those age 45 to 54 and to 27.6 percent, from 28.1 percent, for Americans 55 to 64. Both of those declines were steeper than the overall dip in the U.S. volunteer rate of 0.3 percent. Speculation on why boomers are not volunteering? "What's the problem? Even putting the year-to-year figures aside, why is it that fewer than a third of my fellow boomers - who often think of themselves as the original giving-back generation - volunteer? There's no simple explanation, of course. We're busy. We need to focus on hanging onto our jobs. We have obligations to our kids and parents. All true. But I think a key reason is that many boomers haven't found ways they can volunteer the way they want to, by putting their talents and skills to use, rather than by stuffing envelopes, answering phones and donating food. Here's some evidence backing up my contention that boomers like providing meaningful assistance when they volunteer: According to the Volunteering in the United Sta