#3
Make it fun

Opportunities for service better fit boomers' busy schedules. Organizations need to offer a broad set of options for people to engage in different ways at different times and at different levels of commitment. One-time or episodic opportunities can help boomers test the waters and find their passion, and lead to more sustained and intensive commitments. But even one-time opportunities are not easy enough to find. Even among boomers interested in "good work" in the second half of their lives, only 12 percent of those surveyed in the MetLife/Civic Ventures study felt that it would be very easy for them to act on this desire.

Compared to the so-called "Greatest Generation," boomers are less engaged with their communities by almost every measure, including voting, reading newspapers and joining churches or community groups. But if boomers are less likely than their elders to donate their time out of a sense of duty or obligation, they are more likely to see service as an opportunity for personal satisfaction and social interaction. According to a 2004 report by the Harvard School of Public Health, boomers are looking to public service for the same things they enjoyed about working: camaraderie, intellectual stimulation and the satisfaction of achieving a goal.

As she organized volunteers for a Thanksgiving clothes drive, Habitat for Humanity and other activities, Anne Lusk, originally from Burlington, Vt., realized a major appeal of volunteering was the chance to meet new people. Single Volunteers Inc., founded by Lusk in 1995, has grown to 18 chapters that bring individuals together for service events at national parks, humane societies and food pantries. The Washington D.C. chapter alone has 6,500 members. It's no surprise that among the most popular Web sites for the boomer demographic are dating sites such as FiftySomethingMeet.com and BabyBoomerPeopleMeet.com.