How age diverse is your volunteer program?

I have often written about the value of having a team that brings a wide range of differing world views. It’s vital to ensuring your program is effective at meeting the needs of your organization and the cause that it was created to support.

There are many different ways to bring diversity into your program—gender, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, etc. One of those ways is also age diversity.

(Warning: I make some massive generalizations) I understand there are always exceptions to every rule– sometimes tons of exceptions. That said, generalizations can be useful as a starting point to growth or change. Just don’t get tied down by them.

Good leaders of volunteers make a special effort to match volunteers with roles and tasks that suit their skills and interests. When working with different age groups, having an understanding of what (on average) their passions, barriers, habits and skill levels are can help a leader fit a particular volunteer into a role with a greater likelihood of success.

To that end, I’ve broken the different age categories down into four groups and highlighted the attributes that may be found in each. I’ve also given a few tips on how to harness their abilities and mitigate any barriers.

Generation Y and younger (28 years old and under)
Full of energy and deeply passionate, this group cares about making a difference. They are often highly motivated to gain hands-on experience that will help build their résumés. They’re socially driven, often connected through digital networks. They want........

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