Charities Get Ready for the Boom

Groups try new ways to raise money and attract volunteers from a skeptical generation

As baby boomers enter their 50s and the period of their lives that non-profit leaders have long regarded as the “giving years,” many charity leaders are eagerly awaiting a golden era in philanthropy.

There is much to be optimistic about. In numbers alone, the 75 million Americans born from 1946 to 1964 are a human tidal wave. By the time all the baby boomers reach the age of 65, the nation will have more than double the number of elderly people it does today.

Many of those baby boomers stand to inherit their parents’ wealth, which was built during the United States’ prosperous years after World War II. What’s more, many have accumulated significant assets of their own.

Not only do many boomers have the resources to be big donors, but they also have unparalleled potential as volunteers. They will live longer, healthier lives than their parents yet retire earlier, allowing for years in which to give their time to community-service work.

But as a group, the highly educated boomers tend to be more skeptical, selective, and demanding than their parents, posing new challenges for charities.

Some organizations have begun to tailor their fund raising and volunteer activities to meet those challenges.