Encouraging Senior Sage Leadership

Involvement in community service has to be “one by each.” Someone has to understand a person’s situation well enough to invite them into something they would be willing to say yes to. When a person gets a sense of personal satisfaction, they begin to offset the costs of time, energy and commitment. So inviting others into community involvement has to be on an individual basis, not en masse. And we need to do this so our leaders are replenished as the aging process moves some people to less activity. A form of succession planning needs to continue to take place.

How do we get them involved? I believe we have to find something that hits their value system and matches their passion, so they realize they possess things they can contribute and that are really needed here.

Senior sages suggest additional strategies for increasing the civic involvement of those who possess sage qualities: engaging and asking, making the public case for civic engagement, establishing relationships with newcomers, tying projects to specific volunteers, and communicating the physical and mental benefits of civic engagement:

It’s such a personal thing. I think there are a host of reasons why someone would choose not to be engaged. If there were someone I wanted to involve, I would have to approach them individually, personally, to understand why they aren’t already involved. If it’s something that can be addressed, then I’d do so and see where it leads. I can’t generalize, but it certainly does involve asking people and creating a feeling of inclusion and welcome.

The challenge is to get people to help on a consistent, day-to-day basis. I think it never hurts to ask people to get involved, for there is no harm in asking. Some will say no, but you can ask them again after a period of time. Eventually they might say yes. I don’t know that there is any formula for getting people involved, other than helping them understand that they can make a difference, they can make a contribution, their life can matter even when it is volunteering on a one-time basis.