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Vying For Time: How Programs Engage And Support A Busy Cadre Of Baby Boomer And Older Adult Volunteers, Jennifer Crittenden, Sandy Butler

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

For many nonprofits, older adult volunteers are the bedrock of the volunteer workforce. However, older adults are increasingly leaving their volunteer work to pursue paid employment and family caregiving. To explore how the volunteer sector has responded to this reality, a survey was distributed to 55 Retired and Senior Volunteer Programs (RSVPs) across the U.S. Twenty-one programs responded identifying a range of strategies including: flexible scheduling, integrating care recipients into volunteer assignments, offering resource referral to caregivers, and expanded office hours for older workers. Findings provide strategies that can be replicated across program sectors to retain older adult volunteers.