Volunteering has been a part of American culture since our earliest days. People volunteer for a variety of reasons including to develop new skills, boost one’s confidence and self-esteem, reduce stress and improve mental health, make a difference, connect with others, support important causes and organizations, to have a sense of purpose and build a stronger sense of community.
That strong sense of community exists here in Apex due in large part to a robust and loyal volunteering population. Still though, like everything else, volunteering is evolving.
To understand just how much evolution is going on, I spoke to Apex residents and long-time volunteer leaders, Robert and Lisa Montoya and Paul Dean. We covered a range of topics including generational turnover and aging out, the impact of technology, work/life balance, communication and volunteer opportunities in the age of social media.
The Montoyas moved to North Carolina (from California) over 19 years ago as they were compelled to be part of a smaller community. With three young sons to raise, Lisa recalled how much the community helped and supported her family during those formative years.
“We utilized a lot of the services available. We were takers. So, when those needs stopped as the boys grew up, we felt like it was time for us to give back,” she said.
The Montoyas also touched on the intangible, feel-good reward one receives when volunteering. Dean likewise referred to the “good feeling” you get when you help people. Collectively, they mentioned how volunteering has historically been passed down from generation to generation. Dean’s involvement with the Knights of Columbus is one such example where he said he has carried his father’s torch for this organization.
In terms of generational turnover and the “aging out” of volunteers, Rob mentioned how the Lions Club does a lot of service projects and fundraising campaigns and events. The volunteering group numbers for these kinds of events are fewer now and often measured by those that are physically capable. In simplest terms, the aging of older volunteers (who make up the majority of volunteers) makes it more difficult for them to handle the physical demands of certain events.
It would be a disservice to these long-time volunteers to characterize any of these comments as criticism or to suggest that the organizations they support don’t or won’t continue to value their help and support. In fact, it’s quite the contrary. These volunteers have demonstrated often decades-long dedication and reliability while sharing a wealth of experiential knowledge that can’t be found anywhere else. These legacy volunteers have set a high bar for any and all who come after them. The real challenge will be in finding those who are ready, willing and able to fill the void.
“We are targeting 45- to 60-year-old volunteers since they probably don’t have young kids and maybe have more time,” Rob said.
This targeting of younger volunteers requires innovative thinking since 21st century America operates a bit differently. Though evening meetings have long been the default position for volunteer organizations, they don’t necessarily work today given the changes in how and when people work.
“We are exploring moving these meetings to afternoon hours, 4 p.m. for instance, or even scheduling for lunchtime which might make them available to more,” Rob said.
The recruitment of those in the 25- to 40-year-old demographic is an even trickier problem with the modern family frequently overbooked. Mom, Dad and the kids have work, daycare and/or school by day. After work and school, there are music lessons, scouting, dance or gymnastics classes and athletics, to name a few — and I haven’t even touched on the extracurricular activities of Mom and Dad. But you get the idea. This is a work/life balance issue that volunteer organizations must consider when they recruit.
“Can we strategize and reach out to the 25- to 40-year-olds who are single?” Lisa asked.
Collectively, they suspect that the newer generations don’t really think about volunteering, at least not in the way the generations before viewed and valued it.
“If you are looking for joy, happiness and contentment…I say volunteer to help another in need. I’m not sure they hear that in today’s world. It’s more about what ‘I’ need. It’s more transactional,” Lisa said.
The consensus of the group is that the definition of community is quite different for the younger generations. Technology and the integration/reliance on social media makes communication and access faster and easier but this doesn’t necessarily translate into meaningful engagement.
The Montoyas noted that this feeling of community for the younger generation can be found on social media where engagement happens virtually. Face-to-face interaction is not valued or prioritized when you are immersed in your phone or other electronic devices all day. The large number of contacts listed on someone’s social media outlet are scattered around the country and quite possibly around the world.
“Volunteering for this generation is making a contribution to a GoFundMe campaign. The interaction is brief and the recognition they receive is electronic and is a much safer — not vulnerable — place to be. The twenty-something generation is seemingly frightened by face-to-face interactions. They can participate and get a shout-out on social media from their electronic community but do it from afar. Having a personal brand tells you all you need to know,” the Montoyas shared.
So, how do we reach the new generation? The most obvious answer is meeting them where they are…on social media.
“You have to leverage social media and post opportunities there,” Dean suggested. “Or you entice them with an event that features a compelling speaker, or you serve food and drink. They have a shorter attention span, so your messaging has to align with that. Email is an archaic way to reach out to them. If not social media, you would use text messaging or Slack or whatever the current hot communication mode might be.”
Dean also talked about Googling other local volunteer organizations and asking them what they are doing to bring people in. He noted the irony of technology keeping us apart; it makes it faster and easier to connect, yet our connections are less human. He also noted that the newer generations have a different mindset — many view volunteering as a requirement. He reiterated the idea that volunteering is transactional to the newer generations and is looked at as a means to an end, but that end is no longer feeling good about yourself. Rather, volunteering has become resume fodder and another component to the building of their personal brand.
“[To the new generation], we have to make the case that volunteering is about giving back and being part of the local community at large. We must use technology to our advantage to recruit, to fundraise and so forth. Perhaps we invite volunteers to actual events and then plug them into the process,” Dean said.
Apart from Dean’s suggestion to meet the social media generation where they are, there is a bright side in making volunteering a requirement at the school or faith-based institution level.
The Montoyas expounded on this idea. If schools and faith-based organizations expose students to volunteering, some of these experiences will resonate far beyond the resume entry that they are overtly pursuing. They just might seek out the good feeling and become life-long volunteers.
“I absolutely love that,” Lisa said. “It’s a great point and shows them how giving to another is so amazing. And even more so when you get nothing back. Gaining service hours is the first step. Will you choose to give your time after the service hours have been logged, is the next big question.”
The Lions Club has the Leos which is essentially service hours for high school credits, which students are compelled to acquire. But Lisa noted that some will come away with that intangible feeling of giving back and helping. The seed was planted, and it doesn’t matter if it was planted voluntarily or under the guise of brand improvement. In the end, if new volunteers are born, the end will justify the means.
On the back end of this insightful discussion, an updated list as to why people volunteer here in Apex might look like this: develop new skills, boost one’s confidence and self-esteem, reduce stress and improve mental health, make a difference, connect with others, satisfy a class requirement, facilitate a social media shout-out, bolster one’s resume, support important causes and organizations, to have a sense of purpose and build a stronger sense of community.
No matter what generation you hail from, if you are looking for a volunteer opportunity, there are always local organizations seeking help. Here are a few ideas to get you started, and it’s important to note that this is by no means an all-inclusive list:
Lions Club, Knights of Columbus, Scouting, Western Wake Crisis Ministry, Meals on Wheels, Town of Apex, Porch, animal rescues, and just about any faith-based organization in the area.
