More than 40,000 people in Maine stopped volunteering during the pandemic -- and have not returned. According to the Volunteering and Civic Life in America report issued by AmeriCorps (the federal agency that promotes and measures community service in the United States), the typical volunteer in Maine donates 83 hours of service to a nonprofit in one year.  The State of Maine government values each hour of unpaid work at $26.77 per hour. All those numbers add up to the startling headline above of over $88 million.

Although that is a depressing number, not all the news coming out of Volunteering and Civic Life in America was bad for Maine. According to the report, Maine has the fourth highest rate of formal volunteering through nonprofit organizations in the country and the third highest rate of informal volunteering through such activities as neighbors shoveling neighbors’ driveways. We in Maine are well-reputed for what we do to help our neighbors in need.

The fact that Maine ranks high for voluntarism does not obscure the fact that we still lost 40,000 volunteers who delivered meals to seniors, helped children learn to read, took care of our beautiful environment. The work did not go away – it was either spread amongst a smaller volunteer pool, became the responsibility of paid staff whose time is already limited, or is being left undone.

On August 6, 2024, the Maine Commission for Community Service – of which I am a commissioner – hosted their annual Volunteer Leadership Conference in Augusta. It involved over 200 attendees, including nonprofit volunteer managers and others who interact with volunteers throughout the state. Presentations included conversations about voluntarism as a wellness mechanism, the psychology of volunteers, and engaging businesses in community efforts. Presentations from the conference are available to everyone by clicking here.

Given the demographics of our community, which skew towards Traditionalists born between 1928 – 1944 and Baby Boomers born between 1945 – 1964, it is likely that many volunteer programs have been crafted with those populations in mind. However, as Traditionalists and Baby Boomers age out of volunteering, it is important to consider what motivates younger members of our community to volunteer and what they need to be successful. Following below is a description of Generations X, Y, and Z, with gratitude to Lisa Morin from the Bodwell Center for Service and Volunteerism at the University of Maine and Trisha Mason from the University of New England for their insights at the conference:

Generation X (born between 1965 – 1979)

People in this generation tend to be self-reliant risk-takers who value work/life balance. Before getting involved with a project, they want to know WHY. They volunteer to gain skills and build a like-minded community. When communicating with a Gen Xer, nonprofits must be direct and reach out to them via email or text.

Generation Y (also known as Millennials, born between 1980 – 1994)

People in this generation tend to be tech savvy, goal-focused, and seek to work smarter not harder.  They are motivated by sharing their ideas and being part of a team. Millennials seek opportunities to be creative and that are family-friendly. They prefer online communications via text and social media.

Generation Z (born between 1995 – 2020)

People in this generation tend to be entrepreneurial and seek immediate satisfaction. They often volunteer because they seek mentorship and a sense of social justice. Gen Z particularly appreciate flexible opportunities in which they are shown the value of their efforts. They are digital natives and live online.

Taking these factors into consideration, nonprofits in Maine can help reverse the trend of declining voluntarism by recognizing that they need to adapt their programs to align with the needs of the next generation. Here are a few practical tips:

1. Offer different ways to volunteer. Millennials’ proclivity towards wanting to share their ideas and be part of a team make them good prospects for nonprofit boards. Gen Xers might not have the time to commit to serving on a board at this time given their family commitments but might enjoy bringing their entire family out for a clean-up day on a weekend (so long as it doesn’t conflict with football practice). And Gen Z can make your organization’s social media presence come alive.
2. Communicate using different modalities. Don’t think that just because you put it in an email, Millennials or Gen Z folk will read it. And are you surprised that your college-aged volunteer didn’t respond to your voice mail? Send her a text and you’ll get a quicker response. But be sure to reach out to your Traditionalists and Baby Boomers – if you posted a request on your Facebook page, they probably never saw it.
3. Articulate the varied benefits of volunteering. Remember the Peace Corps slogan, “the toughest job you’ll ever love?” While that may appeal to the workaholic mindset of a Baby Boomer, it would be a big turnoff for a Millennial who wants to work smarter, not harder. To attract Millennials, consider messaging that you are seeking ideas to solve a problem.
4. Bring people from different generations together. As Traditionalists and Baby Boomers want to be recognized for their experience and expertise and Gen Z people seek mentoring, offering different generations the opportunity to work together would be of value to everyone involved. Consider asking Traditionalists and Baby Boomers to run volunteer orientations. Promote eldercare justice as a critical element of social justice to engage Gen Z. And delegate the task of updating your bylaws to the Traditionalists.
5. Be flexible. Does the task you have been doing for the past 20 years on Tuesday mornings really need to be done at that time – or can it be done one evening after work?

Volunteers are an invaluable part of our identity in Maine. We should strive to do more than rank in the top five of states with the highest rates of voluntarism just because we lost fewer volunteers than the other 45. Instead, we can increase the number of volunteers by being more responsive to their needs and motivations.