Here Come the Boomers to Save the Nonprofit Sector

Bad news, Generation X, Generation Y, Millennials, and whatever the hell else they’re calling anybody under the age of 50 these days: The Baby Boomers are coming to the nonprofit sector.

Yesterday New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote breathlessly about the coming trend of retiring Boomers who are shelving their golf clubs in favor of “encore careers” that involve “giving back”:

Some 78 million American baby boomers are now beginning to retire, and one survey this year by a research institute found that half of boomers are interested in starting such new careers with a positive social impact. If we boomers decide to use our retirement to change the world, rather than our golf game, our dodderdom will have consequences for society every bit as profound as our youth did.

And, later, after swooning over a British management consultant who launched an anti-malaria charity:

Some 78 million American baby boomers are now beginning to retire, and one survey this year by a research institute found that half of boomers are interested in starting such new careers with a positive social impact. If we boomers decide to use our retirement to change the world, rather than our golf game, our dodderdom will have consequences for society every bit as profound as our youth did.

It’s terrific that Bill Gates is making such a visible jump from corporate America to foundation work. It’s terrific that, if the trend spotters are right, a lot of his contemporaries will be joining him. But let’s not forget that there were plenty of retirees who were riding that train before Gates et al got on board, and there were plenty of younger folks getting their hands dirty setting up the organizations that the Boomers plan on helping while they were spending their newfound wealth on Botox milkshakes. Over-extolling the ambitions of those who rediscovered their ideals when it was convenient does a disservice to those who live the mission daily. | 501(c)