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The Power of Multigenerational Teams in the Social Sector.


I’m proud to be a Board member of Encore.org that has sprouted so many innovations for those of us over 50— from The Purpose Prize to Experience Corps to the Encore Fellows program. Three senior leaders from the org recently penned this essay on why non-profits are such ripe territory for the wisdom of experienced leaders looking for a second or third act.

Here are some of the insights I took from this:

  • Stanford researchers discovered that 31 percent of adults between the ages of 50 and 92—some 34 million people—”identify, prioritize, adopt and actively pursue goals that are both personally meaningful and contribute to the greater good.”
  • Given the prevalence of younger nonprofit employees (48.4 percent are under 40) and staff new to leadership roles in the sector, experienced professionals can also serve as mentors.
  • Most formal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs don’t include age diversity as a goal. But the value of multigenerational teams is becoming increasingly clear. A recent AARP survey of 6,000 global employers, for example, found that “83 percent of business leaders say multigenerational workforces are key to the growth and long-term success of their companies.” And, according to an analysis in the journal of the American Psychological Association, managers surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management reported that age diversity positively contributed to organizational performance.

For those of you curious about how you might re-pot yourself in the second half of your career, you might consider the non-profit sector as fertile ground. Same seed, different soil.

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