Coming of Age Home Page

Information for Nonprofits

Coming of Age is developing an online course to help nonprofits build their capacity to offer compelling volunteer opportunities to people age 50+.  In the meantime, here are some resources — databases where you can post your volunteer opportunities,  links to national and local reports about volunteering, and marketing information to help you recruit — resources to help you build your capacity to pursue your mission.

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Cutting-Edge Strategies for Senior Centers

A half day workshop plus technical assistance designed to help senior centers explore new identities, attract boomers and other older adults, develop enriched volunteer experiences, and more!

Input Your Volunteer Opportunities Once…
And Be in Two Different Local Search Engines! This link takes you to another site and will open in a new window

Are your opportunities listed with United Way of Southeast PA's VolunteerWay?  If no, do it now! Any opportunity you list there as “available to adults (55+)” automatically becomes part of the Coming of Age 50+ Search Engine. Signup takes about 15 minutes!   

Just Released! Connecting Generations, Strengthening Communities This link takes you to another site and will open in a new window

A Comprehensive Toolkit for Intergenerational Program Planners — developed by Coming of Age partner The Temple University Center for Intergenerational Learning.

Nonprofit Center at La Salle University This link takes you to another site and will open in a new window

The Nonprofit Center offers educational programs, board development, training and consulting services, and an information and referral network for nonprofits in the Delaware Valley area. The Center’s team of experts works with hundreds of organizations to enhance their ability to govern, manage and perform more effectively.

50+ Community Service Resource Center This link takes you to another site and will open in a new window

The Center is a program of Delaware Health and Social Services.  The Volunteer Services Administrator there has written a fascinating two-part article on creating boomer-friendly opportunities.  Check out both Part I and Part II.

Big Picture Reports

Reinventing Aging This link takes you to a PDF document.

This Harvard study says boomers can become an unprecedented resource if they are mobilized as community volunteers.  The report is very well organized so you can easily get to the information most helpful to you. 

50+ Volunteering: Working for Stronger Communities This link takes you to a PDF document.

A must-read! This Points of Light Foundation publication highlights innovative programs and strategies for engaging baby boomer and older adult volunteers.  Explore the entire site for other very helpful 50+ volunteering resources.

Survey and Focus Group Reports

Coming of Age Focus Group Report This link takes you to a PDF document.

In 2004,  Coming of Age conducted a series of focus groups to learn how Philadelphians age 50+ view retirement, including what they were looking for in their volunteer experiences.  A  10-page, easy-to-read summary of the findings.

NCOA RespectAbility Survey Report This link takes you to a PDF document.

A survey of a group of the nation’s leading nonprofits that shows that agencies are largely unequipped to use older Americans as volunteers, even though the rapidly growing ranks of retirement-age Americans could be a valuable resource.

Marketing Resources

Appealing to Experience: Zeroing In On the Right Message This link takes you to a PDF document.

Research shows that most older adults will volunteer when asked, but many are ever asked.  To help you do more asking, Experience Corps has collected what's known about crafting successful recruitment messages aimed at older adults and published this guide.

Full Circle Theater: a Unique Intergenerational Resource This link takes you to another site and will open in a new window

This Philadelphia-based group, a program of the Center for Intergenerational Learning, uses interactive improvisational theater to influence attitudes and behaviors about health and social issues. They perform and conduct workshops for nonprofits throughout the country. Learn more in this video:  high speed or dial up connection.