Keeping Baby Boomers Volunteering: A Research Brief on Volunteer Retention and Turnover

As the number of Americans 65 years and older is expected to increase by 50% from 2007 to 2020, and at the time of this report Baby Boomers had the highest volunteer rate of any age group, this study examined how to keep (retain) Baby Boomers as volunteers over time. Key findings include: (1) Every year approximately 3 out of 10 Baby Boomers dropped out of volunteering and only 83.2 percent (on average) were replaced with new volunteers; (2) Volunteer retention is related to the type and nature of the activity; and (3) Volunteer retention rates are related to the ways Baby Boomers became volunteers.