Susan J. Ellis reacts to a newspaper article, “As older Minnesota volunteers leave, who will replace them?” Are we asking the right or wrong questions in situations like this one?! Read this month’s Hot Topic at https://www.energizeinc.com/hot-topics/2015/february?utm_source=February+2015+Update&utm_campaign=UA-392700-2&utm_medium=email.
In its January 26th edition, the Minneapolis StarTribune ran an article titled “As older Minnesota volunteers leave, who will replace them?” (link is external) which was highlighted the next day by The Chronicle of Philanthropy (link is external). The newspaper story was quite well-written and even included quotations from the executive director of the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA (link is external)) – bravo to the thorough reporter for finding experts!
If you read the full article, I suspect you’ll agree with much of it, especially because it is neither written in a woe-is-me tone nor blames uncaring Millennials for not having the sacrifice gene that older generations had. In fact, the author realistically notes that yesterday’s volunteering is no longer viable in many situations, while today’s volunteering is legitimately held to different standards by those wishing to serve. And most importantly, the article strongly states that organizations must adapt creatively. Read the whole article at https://www.energizeinc.com/hot-topics/2015/february?utm_source=February+2015+Update&utm_campaign=UA-392700-2&utm_medium=email.