Give 5

Give 5 is a social program launched in Springfield, Missouri that matches innovative volunteer opportunities with retired (or almost retired) Baby Boomers. The Give 5 program empowers people. 

The program provides a way for retirees and seniors to apply their unique talents and passions to the community's primary areas of need. The process is one of “civic matchmaking,” with the program providing the journey to find the best individual fit between program participant and nonprofit(s) in need. 

Program Benefits 

• Matches Baby Boomer generation retirees with unfilled volunteer opportunities in the community and addresses the issues of isolation, purpose, and relevance that retirees often confront by connecting them to meaningful volunteer opportunities and celebrating them and their contributions in a fun and social manner. 
• Introduces Boomers to new people and new ways of thinking via a shared experience and the bonding that occurs as a result, thus strengthening the community’s “bridging” social capital.
• Provides talented volunteers who serve as “fuel” to the community’s nonprofits. 

How it Works

Each class of 20-25 people participates in four program days over four weeks. Program days last between six and seven hours, with lunch and snacks included. Day  1 includes an orientation to the program and a “behind the curtain” view of their community. 

Each day, participants board a bus to visit various nonprofit locations. At least one guide is with the class at all times and coordinates and guides each program day.  Each class session and facility tour is interactive, fun and social. Visits to nonprofits allow participants to better understand the types of volunteer opportunities available. Each host organization plans an interesting, interactive and informative presentation. 

After the final regular program day, participants are encouraged to commit to one or more volunteer opportunities, and a short “graduation" celebration wraps up the program. Those who are ready to commit may do so via a "signing" ceremony at graduation, pledging to volunteer at the nonprofit(s) of their choice at least five hours per month for the following six months.  

Upon graduation from the Give 5 program, graduates are publicly celebrated and valued. These graduates intuitively become ambassadors for the myriad volunteer opportunities in the community and the Give 5 program.

Why It's Needed

Because the future health and vitality of our communities depends on it. With an army of skilled Baby Boomers already retired, and another wave of Boomers retiring over the next decade (totaling 70 million in the U.S.), the communities that figure out effective volunteer matchmaking will be the ones that thrive and offer the best quality of life.  
Many communities have a wide variety of volunteer needs, such as ... 

• Nonprofits need access to experienced leaders and technical expertise.
• Children need mentors, access to education and safe havens. 
• Young professionals and entrepreneurs need mentorship and access to expertise,  institutional knowledge, and wisdom.
• City and county governments need talented, passionate volunteers to serve on their boards and commissions.
• Volunteers are needed to assist those most in need – the homeless, children and the under resourced.

How It’s Working 

Survey results from graduates of classes 1-5 at the flagship program in Springfield  Missouri:  
 

• 79% of respondents reported still volunteering because of Give 5 one year after  graduation 
• Graduates each average 18 hours of volunteerism per month 
• Total # hours volunteered per month: 1,028 
• Using Independent Sector’s value of volunteer work of $25/hour:  $308,400 per year (. . . just the first five classes!) 

The Give 5 Program builds trust, community ownership and empathy.

What People are Saying 

“Once again, the civic leaders of Springfield, Missouri, are in the forefront of the national movement to reweave the fabric of American communities. Give 5 is a  smart way to connect aging Boomers with non-profit volunteering opportunities. It’s a brilliant strategy to solve two growing social problems simultaneously—the dangerous isolation of older Americans and the dangerous isolation of younger have-not Americans. Communities across the land have  much to learn from Springfield and the Give 5 program.”


- Dr. Robert Putnam, Harvard University, author of Bowling Alone, Our Kids and The Upswing