Volunteering Among Older Americans ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A recent comment on our forum asks, "Where are all the volunteers?" It seems that others are asking the same question.
A new report commissioned by AARP (summarized here) found that of over the one million respondents between the ages of 44 and 79, 73% volunteered within the past year, and 41% were "very or somewhat likely to increase the amount of time they spend volunteering in the next few years." However, even with these numbers, the reports finds that there remains a great deal of potential untapped in older Americans, or "Experienced Americans". What might be holding them back? The most common reasons for not volunteering as much as they would like were lack of time a well as a need to make money. Not being able to volunteer due to health problems and a lack of transportation were also cited, but to a much lesser extent.
Additional reasons cited in the report suggest that the Vesper Service Network could help more people get involved. People want more information about available volunteer opportunities, help finding a volunteer opportunity that fits their interests or skills, and they want to be asked. A stunning 68% of respondents say they did not volunteer last year because they weren't asked.
The report then discusses ways that communities and individuals can do more to get involved. The full report can be found here. |
2008 Wheatridge Symposium
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you to all who visited us at the "Living Well - The Body Language of Faith" Symposium! Pictured here at the Vesper Service Network exhibit are Kay Edwards (president and CEO of Vesper Service Network) and Don Edwards (a Vesper Advisor). 
The Symposium included presentations on topics important to not-for-profit leaders and others working to make their communities healthier places, like "A Vision for Creative Aging," "Living Well Through the Healing Power of Humor," "A Disciple's Guide to Depression," and "The High Cost of Compassion." Several of the presentations are available on the website, with a link here. |
What Advisors Are Saying About Their Experience ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recently, Vesper Advisor, Paulette Flynn, helped the staff of a small social service organization create an annual plan that was more "specific, measurable, and achievable" for presentation to its Board of Directors. Paulette said the project helped her "think like a consultant, taking a few steps back and seeing things from a different vantage point." It was a helpful reminder that she could also do that at her own organization at any time by putting back on her "consultant" hat. She also appreciated that the Vesper Service Network helps the community by using resources within that community to "produce results when there might not be the financial resources; it brings to bear the wealth of the community - true wealth in the hearts and minds of people in the community."
What would Paulette say to someone who is thinking about signing up as a Vesper Advisor? "This is something you can do. Even a busy person who thinks they don't have time for this can do this. It allowed me to slip in and out of the engagement, without a huge time commitment. Getting ready for an engagement and the work after a meeting is the most time consuming. Vesper helped with the organizing piece and the continuity after my time there."
Thank you, Paulette, for using your skills and talents to make our community a better place! As a result of Paulette's work, the organization has a solid, measurable annual plan that was approved by the board, and that staff feels confident they can carry out.
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| Expanding the Network ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Vesper Service Network is growing! We're expanding our staff so we can serve more organizations and people who care about their communities. And to make it even easier to reach anyone at the Vesper Service Network, we're expanding our phone system as well. Call us at our new number, 414-921-0912, to find help for your mission or new ways to get involved in your community.
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Quick Wins: Board of Directors This month's Quick Win comes at the suggestion of one of our readers who asked us to share some practical ways to help not-for-profit boards better understand and carry out their responsibilities as board members.
The board's primary responsibility, of course, is to guide the organization's mission and vision. Here are some of our favorite ways of keeping this at the top of board members' minds.
- Give every board member a laminated, wallet-sized card with the mission statement printed on it.
- Devote some time at every board meeting to discussing the mission and vision. This can be simple and brief, repetition and consistency is more effective than long discussions held infrequently. Ask questions like:
- How would you describe the mission, in your own words?
- What program or service do you think most effectively lives out our mission?
- What part of our vision statement inspires you most?
- Create an award for the board member who best personifies the mission, and include each year's winner in selecting the next winner.
- Ask board members to find examples of mission or vision statements they admire, and briefly (5 minutes) share what they admire about them.
If you have ideas or examples of things that have worked well in your organization, let us know. Or post your ideas on our discussion forum here. |
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