GenX and Boomer volunteerism

[JMHawkins]

Just a thought, where are the Lions, Shriners, and other Fraternal Service Organizations doing in your area? Just about died here. If they exist they do so very quietly. The Generation X does not have the volunteer gene that most, and I say most Baby Boomers do.

 

GenX types have their own volunteering patterns, but I would guess that you're unlikely to find a large number of GenX folks volunteering in organizations with a large contingent of Boomers already ensconced. GenXers are in general not very fond of Boomers at all, and are going to be less interested in volunteering for organizations where they have to interact closely with Boomer "bosses."

 

The troop I'm in has a ton of GenX volunteers. We have two Boomer ASMs, but the SM, the other 5 ASMs, the CC, the COR, IH and the entire Committee are GenX. The relative autonomy of the BSA unit allows that.

 

Something other organizations might want to consider. There is a fair amount of generational animosity, for better or worse. If you want volunteers, you need to deal with it.

[NJCubScouter]

In what years do these generations begin and end? I have seen various definitions, and just looked them up online, and there seems to be so much variation that it all seems artificial to me. How do you look at a person and tell what "generation" they are part of? I realize that many books and articles have been written about the differences between these "generations", which is fine for the people who make money from writing the books and articles, but I am not sure what it really means to the rest of us.

 

Based on the definitions I just found online, some would consider my oldest child to be in Generation X, others would say Y; and some would consider my youngest child to be in Generation Y, others would say Z. (The middle one seems to be a Y by universal acclaim.) So potentially my three children, who are about nine and a half years apart from the oldest to the youngest, could be in three different generations! Of course, outside the world of artificial constructs, they are all in one generation: The generation after me.

[perdidochas]

Pretty much 1964 is the border between Gen X and the Baby Boomers. Now, the later baby boomers are sometimes known as Generation Jones (Barack Obama is part of that subgeneration). Gen X ends at about those born in 1979 or 1980. That's when the Millenials or Gen Y begin, and they go to about 2000. Then we have Gen Z. There is always overlap. I was born in 1965, so I'm an early X, not only in age but in attitude. I know people I graduated high school with, who are Baby Boomers, despite being only a few months older than I. Personally, I categorize it by the predominant music listened to in high school. If they were into "classic rock" (not called that at the time, but a good description), they were boomers. If they listened more to new wave/alternative, they were Xers.

 

Anyway, I do agree that Xers and millenials don't seem to join civic organizations. I joined Kiwanis, and it just wasn't me, so I stopped. That said, I don't think Xers volunteer less, I just think we volunteer on our terms, instead of as in a group. Most of the soccer/baseball coaches I know are fellow Xers. The people running my church's youth groups are Xers and Millenials. Most of the cub leadership when I was a cub leader were also Xers. Troop leadership is mixed between Xers and Boomers.

[Basementdweller]

born 65 same boat as pen.......

 

My father hid from me in Fraternal organizations as a boy.....Monday night was the Pharmacy association, Tuesday was Toast Masters, Wednesday was Kiwanis, Thursday was Lions and friday he worked late and Moose after work for a beer.

 

So I swore I would never do that to my son.

 

 

Joined the moose Christmas gift from dad.....I just don't drink and party that much....

 

I joined the shriners for my father.....Again, I just don't drink and party that much.

 

Tried Kiwanis......I was the youngest in the room and quit because I had nothing in common with the other members and they meet at noon on Tuesday.

 

 

 

Those groups may have a very lofty goals, but in the couple of years in each I never saw anything come from it. All of the drinking.....I never was comfortable with the folks their.

 

I like direct volunteerism. I participate in several environmental organizations who do direct projects.....I don't want to sit in meetings, I don't want to drink with you, I don't want to go to your conventions or other pointless things......I volunteer as a block watch captain, reading tutor after school, scouting Pack, Crew and Troop.

 

 

 

 

 

[Horizon]

The book Bowling Along discussed this issue -

 

http://bowlingalone.com/

 

"Putnam draws on evidence including nearly 500,000 interviews over the last quarter century to show that we sign fewer petitions, belong to fewer organizations that meet, know our neighbors less, meet with friends less frequently, and even socialize with our families less often. Were even bowling alone. More Americans are bowling than ever before, but they are not bowling in leagues. Putnam shows how changes in work, family structure, age, suburban life, television, computers, womens roles and other factors have contributed to this decline."

 

My father was active in Kiwanis, and it was a great organization for a businessman as well. When I checked out the local club, it was a combination of poker players and retirees.

 

I don't have time to join a group like Kiwanis. My time is spent as a soccer coach, a Scout Leader in two units (Pack and Troop), and a volunteer for a swim team. When I had extra time on my hands, I served on the Board of our local soccer league and was the Scoutmaster of the Troop. A good friend of mine has put more time into the soccer league, even though his boys no longer play. That is his service - not joining a club.

 

My father did NONE of that. His contribution to my Troop was dropping me off and picking me up from meetings and campouts, for which I DO thank him. He WAS, however, very active in Kiwanis.

 

Why would I join a service organization? I already contribute my time directly to Scouting and youth sports. I don't need another club to convince me to serve - I will serve directly instead of through an intermediary. This is the same reason I don't give to the United Way - if I want to help a charity, I will help them directly. I don't need a larger organization with its own agenda standing between me and my time/cash.

 

Generation Rant, Don't Take Seriously or Personally:

I am pure GenX. I graduated into a recession watching companies layoff long-term employees, and show them zero loyalty. My generation had to take the first of the McJobs (See Doug Coupland's book), assumed that we would be dumped at the first opportunity, and we moved around the country chasing work. We didn't have time for the service organizations, nor did we see the value in them. If we wanted to hang out with friends, we would do it. If we wanted to help out, we would. But we did not want to join some club run by Boomers who would tell us how to serve others. This is the same reason that many of us started tech companies - we could do it with minimal need for some Boomer telling us what to do (except when we raised money, admittedly).

[Horizon]

I should have led with this:

 

http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/special/Generation-X-(born-1965-1981)

 

The actual data does not seem to show a significant difference between the generations, especially if we control for age (parents with kids have less spare time).

[Lisabob]

Horizon nailed it. I'm an X'er. I volunteer quite a bit, but just don't love the notion of joining a club for that purpose.

 

And I kind of think some service clubs are like some Venturing Crews. The generation that got them going was all gung-ho, but then they neglected to bring in new folks and so they died out. Unfortunately, quite literally in some cases. By the time my son's former troop changed COs a year or so ago, the Lion's club that had sponsored them for 50+ years was down to less than 5 members, all of whom were in their 70s or older. They did nothing to recruit new folks and, in fact, were rather hostile to "outsiders" including leaders of the troop and pack they sponsored!

 

Similarly, although I'm fairly involved in political activities, I'm not thrilled about joining political clubs. In my first "real" job I was more or less compelled as an unofficial term of employment to join a ladies' conservative club in my area - where the next youngest member was about 40 years older than me. Sigh. We did not have a great deal in common.

 

ETA: if some clubs relied primarily on retirees or stay-at-home spouses for membership in the past, then they're really in trouble today. When everybody works 50+ hours a week just to scrape by and a whole generation of X'ers are wondering if they'll ever be able to retire (most of us have no pensions - thanks!), it doesn't leave much time for club participation.(This message has been edited by lisabob)

[SeattlePioneer]

I joined an Eagles chapter in 1999. I found they were pretty much an eating and drinking club, which had no interest for me. I let my membership lapse at the end of a year.

 

I rejoined Scouting in 2004 at age 54, after leaving in 1987. That's been just what I was looking for --- making a contribution to a quality program that benefits the community and providing me with quality activities to participate in with people who are generally on their best behavior.

 

By 2007, Scouting was competing with time I spent self employed on my furnace repair business. So I sold off the business and retired.

 

That's worked out well for me.

[suzisk8]

Our Pack was sponsored by the local Elks Lodge and oh boy, did they ever drink up a storm! They eventually made up a story that some of our boys vandalized the bathroom and we couldn't meet there anymore and we changed charters. I just don't see the point in those types of organizations anymore. When I first moved here I joined a political party women's club, and I was the youngest there, and I was in my late 30's! It seems like I can do more online with my voice than in person sometimes. Plus I am so busy with my son's Pack and I am now the Bear Den Leader this year! Yikes! I wouldn't have time to join any other organization, lol.