The Atlantic Philanthropies Provides Funding to Help Establish
’Encore Careers’ in Ways that Benefit Society

By accelerating the development of a new stage of paid work in fields with looming labor shortages – such as education, health care, the nonprofit sector and government work – Civic Ventures hopes to deliver the experience and energy of tens of millions of people now entering their 50s and 60s to help tackle society’s greatest challenges.

Initial funding for the "encore career" campaign will come from a $10 million, four-year grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies, a strong supporter of Civic Ventures’ two largest programs, Experience Corps and The Purpose Prize. The Atlantic grant will also partially underwrite core costs for Civic Ventures during the upcoming period.

John S. Gomperts, newly named President of Civic Ventures, will direct the campaign with Marc Freedman, Civic Ventures’ founder who will now serve as CEO. Gomperts, who has served in senior leadership positions in government and the nonprofit sector for the past 20 years, has been CEO of Experience Corps since 2003 and will continue in that post.

The launch of the encore career campaign will coincide with the publication of Encore: How Baby Boomers Are Inventing the Next Stage of Work (PublicAffairs Books), a new book by Freedman to be released in late spring of 2007. Freedman is also author of the widely-praised Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America.

"Unlike their parents, boomers plan to stay on the job longer," Freedman says. "As they age, they are looking for more from work, not less – more flexibility, yes, but also more meaning and, just as important, more impact. If the old dream was freedom from work, they are after the freedom to work, in new ways and to new ends."

"Unfortunately, most say it won’t be easy to find significant roles combining the spirit of service and the benefits of work," Freedman adds. "It’s our goal to make it easier."

Freedman defines the encore career as "a 10- or 15-year career moving from midlife priorities to greater significance, one that might not be as long as midlife work but that weighs as much. Encore careers are not bridge jobs or senior volunteering, phased retirement or any kind of retirement. They are paid positions in social change and community service that promise to make the best and highest use of people’s passions, talents and experience."

According to Gomperts, the campaign under development will proceed with a sense of urgency. "In 2011, the first baby boomers will turn 65. We have an opportunity right now to match the largest, healthiest, best educated older population ever in the history of the world with pressing human needs. The people are willing, but the jobs aren’t there. We will work to change that."

The campaign will take place in three stages – introduce the idea, show that it works and then spread the word far and wide. All three stages will involve research, analysis, partnerships and communications. "We hope to act as a catalyst," Gomperts notes, "prompting the creation of a marketplace of players and encore career options."

In addition to naming Gomperts to spearhead the encore career campaign, Civic Ventures will add several key staff, including a chief operating officer. (Click here to see the job posting.) In addition, Phyllis Segal, a faculty member of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and a research associate at the MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research, will become a Civic Ventures senior vice president.

Michelle Hynes, currently program director for Experience Corps, will become a Civic Ventures vice president and will be responsible for the day-to-day leadership of Experience Corps. Other changes, including new job postings, will be announced shortly.

"The transformation of the aging of the baby boom generation from a crisis into an opportunity may one day stand as America’s first great social achievement of the 21st century," says Brian Hofland, director of The Atlantic Philanthropies Ageing Programme. "Civic Ventures has a history of strong success and the ability to lead the charge."

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About Civic Ventures
Civic Ventures is a think tank and program incubator, working to help society achieve the greatest return on experience.

About The Atlantic Philanthropies
The Atlantic Philanthropies, are dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Atlantic focuses on four critical social problems: Ageing, Disadvantaged Children & Youth, Population Health, and Reconciliation & Human Rights. Programmes funded by Atlantic operate in Australia, Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam.