For a long time, I’ve been thinking about the concept of retirement. There are several reasons for this.
First, I’m 71 years old and not retired. And I have some good reasons for not doing so, which I’ll explain later.
But more importantly, I’ve observed over the last ten years the extreme loneliness, isolation and pain of a group of people who have either been cast aside by the system or voluntarily chosen to retire, believing it would be the best choice for them.
And I’ve seen fundraisers – MGOs – who are viewing these retired folks as sources of cash, to meet their institutional and personal goals, rather than seeing how they can help the older donor fulfill their passions and interests.
It’s true: many older donors have plenty of disposable cash and property. But the path to securing those assets for your organization is not to chase the money, but rather to fill the very real need an older donor has for significance and fulfillment.
This is why the traditional question “what are you doing in retirement” needs to be replaced with “how can I help you fulfill your passions and interests?” It seems like a nuance, I know. But read on for the deeper meaning, and bear with me for a little history on retirement so you can capture what I’m saying.
According to Wikipedia, retirement, or the practice of leaving one’s job or ceasing to work after reaching a certain age, has been around since the 18th century.
In 1883, the German chancellor Otto Von Bismarck announced that anyone over 65 years old would be forced to retire, and he would pay them a pension. This was one of the first retirement systems.
In the mid-1800s certain U.S. municipal employees, including firefighters, police and teachers, started receiving public pensions. In 1875, the American Express Company began to offer private pensions. By the 1920s, a variety of American industries, from railroads to oil to banking, began offering pensions.
In his 1905 valedictory address to the John Hopkins Hospital, the eminent Canadian physician William Osler expressed his conviction that workers between ages forty and sixty were tolerable because they were “merely uncreative.” But after age sixty, he said, the average worker was useless and should be put out to pasture. This mentality still exists today – which is why it’s so important to reframe it.
The issue of retirement was still intense in 1951, when the Corning Company assembled a roundtable to make sense of how to make retirement more popular. At that gathering, the writer and student of Eastern and Western cultures, Santha Rama Rau, observed that Americans didn’t have the ability to appreciate doing nothing. Hold on to this point – it’s important.
By 1910, Florida got to be distinctly available as a retirement destination. Retirement communities started to show up in the 1920s and 30s. The explosion of golf courses, and the onset of films and TV, transformed “having nothing to do” into a leisure time activity.
In 1999, The American Association of Retired Persons dropped “Retired” from its name and turned into AARP, Inc to reflect that its focus was no longer American retirees.
And today, “senior citizens” (as we are called) are a major market for commercial enterprise.
But here’s the problem.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in five present-day retirees experiences depression. Those living alone, because of bereavement or divorce, are more at risk. Physical health problems can also make people more vulnerable to mental health issues. Recent studies have indicated that “retirement increases the chances of suffering from clinical depression by around 40 percent, and of having at least one diagnosed physical illness by 60 percent.”
This is why we need to change our thinking about this subject, both in the commercial sector as well as in the non-profit world. Older donors, who have most of the assets that non-profits want to secure, need a place and an involvement to fulfill their passions and interests. This is an important point for you as a MGO to understand. Working out one’s passions and interests has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with finding fulfillment by making something happen that you’re interested in.
I recently had lunch with a good friend of mine. He’s 60 years old and leaving his very well-paid job. Why? Because he wants to do something that fills up his heart and spirit. He’s already taught himself classical guitar. He’s really good! He’s a weaver. He’s taught himself Spanish. He’s using his skills to help others and non-profits. He started a small charity in Mexico. He’s not retiring; he’s moving to the next phase of his life. In fact, retirement is not in his vocabulary.
And, I predict, he’ll live for a very long time. This is why I’m still working. I have plenty to give, I love what I’m doing, and I’m contributing value. It’s good for me. In fact, many workers have adopted scaling back on their jobs at around 55 or 60, or even changing careers, but are still working for 15-20 more years.
This is why the word “retirement” or “retired” is no longer a useful concept. It mistakenly sends a signal to a person that now is the time to move from productivity and fulfillment to leisure. Now, there’s nothing wrong with leisure. But every person I know who has made the transition from one phase to another but kept doing something fulfilling has been healthier and happier. The key is doing something that is fulfilling. And you, as the MGO, can provide that!
Here’s how this specifically applies to you as a MGO. As Jeff and I have said for many years now, a human being is born with a set of interests and passions that develop over their lifetime. From your perspective, as a fundraiser, this is the key to success – to uncover those interests and passions and to serve the donor outrageously.
From the donor’s perspective, when he or she does make the move, they have a deep and abiding desire to be and do something significant and fulfilling. When you, as a MGO, fully understand and embrace this reality, you’ll see why you need to think about and treat the older donors on your caseload differently.
You need to move from “what are you doing in retirement” to “how can I help you fulfill your passions and interests?” Huge difference.
Remember this: a person who’s leaving their job, either because they have to or they are choosing to, is not suddenly useless – although in many cases they’re made to feel that way. They are simply transitioning to another phase of personal fulfillment. If you don’t realize this, and have it top of mind, you’ll make a serious mistake in how you treat them.
No one wants to suddenly become useless. As a consequence of the retirement system, many good people do, in essence, feel that way. And that’s a tragedy.
Be sure you play a role in making sure that doesn’t happen with the older donors on your caseload. Be aware of this dynamic, and look for ways to provide meaning to them. That’s a sure way to secure their involvement and assure their fulfillment and happiness.
Richard
(Tweet it!) “A person who retires – voluntarily or not – is not suddenly useless. Now they have time to fulfill different passions and interests; and MGOs should be a part of that.”