Volunteers are a powerful force for good in the world, giving their time, energy, and skills to those who need them most. Guiding these individuals can be as challenging as it is exciting, as the volunteer process is continually evolving. This breakout session explores the changing nature of volunteering and the ways that Rotary and other service organizations are responding to these developments.
4. Demographic Trends
Over half of the
worlds population is
now under 30 and
yet in developed
countries, people are
living longer and
approximately
20 – 30% of their
population is aged 60
or older.
Global population by age group, 1950 – 2050
60 or over
25 – 59
10 – 24
0 – 9
5. 25% of Gen Z
interact daily with
peers in other
countries
32% would
prefer to work for
themselves rather
than an employer
The Gen Z Impact – Born 1990 & beyond
• Social media
• Global mindset
• Expectation to “Do
Good in the World”
• Self starters
6. Technological Trends
• In 2015 the number of mobile
phone subscriptions surpassed
the world population!
• Digital and physical worlds will
start to merge
• Technology will empower
individuals and serve as an
enabler
• Globalization
• Increasing speed of change!
9. So what does this all
mean to us here right
now?
What can we be
doing to adapt to
these changes?
10. We Need to Embrace Change!
Resisting change is
like trying to hold your
breath under
water…............
Even if you succeed it
doesn’t end well!!
11. Practical Ideas
• Entrance interviews!
• Project vs position
• Adopt a flexible approach
• Offer multiple options for service
• Re-evaulate your service projects:
• Cause based?
• Impact driven
• Quality over quantity
41. Cultural Alignment
• Customary to give to family, friends, neighbours
• Many hands make light work
• Lacks ability to scale up
• Short term, immediate needs
• Conflicts with organized giving, fundraising
• NGOs have a bad name (Abunuwasi
phenomenon)
42. Volunteering Today
• Kenya 4 Kenyans Campaign
• Record breaking fundraising result
• Impact of cause brought home
• Heavy use of celebrity influencers
• Giving made cool
• No long term commitment
• Haba na haba hujaza kibaba (a little at a time
fills the pot)
43. Rotary’s Future
• Structured giving gaining momentum
• New technology offering opportunities for youth
participation
• Allow for varied levels of commitment
• Flexibility in cause selection and mode of
participation
46. This presentation and others
from throughout the convention
are available through the
convention mobile app and on
SlideShare at
www.SlideShare.net/Rotary_International.
47. Rate this session in the Rotary
Events app, available in your
Apple or Android app store.
Editor's Notes
We thought it would be helpful today to take a brief look at some of the demographic and technological changes that are impacting our world today and the ways we choose to volunteer. With an enhanced awareness and understanding we can then start to ask ourselves how much of that becomes relevant to the ways in which we run our Rotary Clubs.
So I would like to share with you all some of the research we have been working with on the Strategic Planning Committee with our consulting team from Grant Thornton in addition to the results of several surveys of over a million Rotarians, Rotaractors, Alumni and even Non-Rotarians.
So let’s start with demographics!
There are two key factors of significant interest:
1. >50% of the world population are < 30
2. At the same time people are living longer – especially in the developed parts of the world – so we often find areas where 20-30% of the population is aged 60 or over. People are healthier, active for longer and view themselves as younger for longer –true for me at least – and in fact only 6% of over 65’s view themselves as old!!
So yes we do absolutely need to be focusing our efforts on attracting and retaining younger professionals BUT we equally need to be mindful of the value Rotary can add to older generations too – right the way through to retirement. Research from Canada finds that regular volunteering reduces the risk of dementia and isolation in retired people. Older adults often discover they have more time in their lives to give to causes due to being out of the workforce. Personal experience re empty nesters too!
Research suggests that in contrast to older generations that see charitable causes as separate from their everyday lives, millennials often view the two as linked and want to live in ways that help them give back. Amanda will be getting into more of that during her segment but I mention it because I truly believe “A sense of Purpose” is a universal human need that remains a constant across all generations. And I think that is certainly true for anyone who has chosen to make Rotary a way of life!
Ploughing down a little deeper it is interesting to also explore the impact of Gen Z who were born after millenials. Born into the internet era of social media – they leverage it to form close relationships and as their tool to address world concerns and create positive social change.
Gen Z has a global mindset – Exposed to globalism from an early age and connecting beyond borders is easy for them
As this generation starts to take key leadership positions “Doing good in the world” is becoming an expectation, not a novelty – giving rise to expectations that governments, businesses, and other entities should “do good” –which is leading to an increase in both Social entrepreneurism and corporate social responsibility
As self-starters, they have a strong tendency toward entrepreneurialism and a strong sense of empowerment through technology that they truly CAN make a difference – even as an individual and they can do it RIGHT NOW!
And so we transition into technological trends…
It may be hard to believe but there are now more mbolie phone subscriptions on the planet than people! Many of those are smart phones too which means that the majority of people now have access through the internet to whatever they want right now.
With the increasing popularity of Virutal Reality our digial and physical worlds are converging leading to a shift from products to experiences through live video feeds, wearable technology, virtual reality, etc. The picture here depicts the project we did at last years’ convention in Atlanta in partnership with Google to give Rotarians a virtual experience of a National Immunization Day for Polio. It was available in the HOF here too.
Technology is serving as an enabler – Anyone, anywhere can create impact on their own and/or quickly connect to others that share their passion. It is breaking down boundaries and reinforcing a global mindset.
“Smart” products are here now –driverless cards are already on the roads, you can buy jackets that are wired to send virtual hugs and so many more examples that are all serving to continuously accelerate the speed of change!
And as technology advances, individuals will demand the same speed of the organizations they engage with! We need to do whatever we can to keep up!!
Sources: World Economic Forum, 14 Tech Predictions for 2020 (2014); World Economic Forum, These are the top 10 emerging technologies of 2016 (2016)
So gone are the days when our “competitors” were simply seen as Kiwanis and Lions Clubs. There are so many more offerings now that touch on what we offer in one way or another. Here are just a few:
MEETUP: An online networking portal that allows members to find and join groups based on location and interests. It has more than 30 million members and is available in 180 countries
LINKEDIN VOLUNTEER MATCH – the webs largest volunteer engagement network!
FACEBOOK: An online social media and social networking site that allows people to connect with others, share information, create events, fundraise, and form groups. It has more than one billion users across the world.
Giving.sg - An online platform in which users can search for volunteer opportunities, as well as donate and fundraise. It is the largest giving community in Singapore, with more than 900,000 users.
CROWDRISE: The world’s largest and fastest-growing online fundraising platform dedicated exclusively to charitable giving. It has been used by thousands of non-profits and used by millions of individuals to raise money.
WE: A social movement created to bring people together and gives them the tools to change the world. WE activities include hosting conferences across the world, developing and supporting programs, and selling merchandise benefitting non-profit organizations. – Gen Z
CHANGE.ORG An online campaign and petition platform in which individuals can create, find, and sign petitions for causes they
care about. It has more than 100 million users across the world.
So what does this all mean in terms of how people are choosing to volunteer? Here are a few of the trends that have been identified.
MICRO: Demand for short term volunteering opportunities is increasing; as people feel the pressure to be able to do it all, As a result a simple, fluid approach to volunteering is on the rise – ‘micro-volunteering’.
The main eight characteristics of micro-volunteering they identified were: small amounts of time, easy to access, immediate, convenient, task rather than role orientated, informal agreement, can take place online or offline, it can be a one-off or more regular.
The main element being that the volunteer is in control of how and when they participate.
EPISODIC: Today, many people are looking to volunteer for one time or short time opportunities. In fact, the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations reports that 31 per cent of volunteers give their time only once or twice a year. Episodic volunteering, as it is called, requires some creativity on the part of volunteer-involving organizations to design suitable positions that maximize the benefit of involving this new type of volunteer – more driven by fun and social motives and need to make a difference now – short term vs longer horizon
VIRTUAL: In contrast to traditional volunteering opportunities, where people come together to complete a task at a specific time and place, this can happen anywhere/anytime by anyone who has access to the internet.
Most notably it has allowed people to have an impact in disaster relief through tangible actions beyond donating money.
SLACKTIVISM - actions performed via the Internet in support of a political or social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement, e.g., signing an online petition or joining a campaign group on a social media website.
So what does this all mean to us right now? What can we be doing to adapt to these changes?
How will this all affect how we run our clubs?
Well first off we need to be sure to embrace change not fear it or resist it…..
Resisting change is like trying to hold your breath under water....even if you succeed it doesn’t end well!!!
Finally I would like to leave you with some practical ideas on actions you can start taking right away!
One of the key takeaways from all of the trends is that there is no longer room for a “One size fits all approach”! There are so many different personal needs and preferences that we need to consider in trying to build and manage our clubs. Our world is so often focused on exit interview to find out why someone chose to leave – TOO LATE! Why not do an entrance interview instead. Start by asking everyone in your club and those who are joining what motivates them, what are they passionate about, how do they prefer to give of their time, talents and money?
One way to adapt to the changing trends in volunteering is to focus more on projects than longer term roles. There will be less attraction to a three year term or leadership ladder and more of an interest in what part can I play in these next 2-6 months that will make a difference and give shorter term satisfaction.
We therefore need to be looking at our club structures – consider more task focused teamwork vs committee appointments. Be sure to know what skills your members have and how they would like to use them.
Multiple options for service:
In person
Online – Ways to contribute from the comfort of home
Social Media
Text to donate
Dip in & out
Volunteers are often not like the people who are managing them. They may be older, younger, a different gender, a different faith, a different culture.
With volunteers, the motivations may be very different and you may need to be empathetic and responsive to what their desires and needs are as well as how they can help you deliver your mission or project.
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