We believe that the time to engage in this type of inter-generational dialogue is now. At the same time that the challenges of the world are vast and growing, many of society’s current social changemakers are beginning to retire. The non-profit and social justice sector is under strain as the oldest members of the baby boom generation are quickly reaching 60, and, in many cases, beginning to leave the helms of the organizations and movements that they founded. According to a study of aging leaders by the non-profit research group CompassPoint, more than 75 percent of the 1900+ executives surveyed plan to leave their organizations within five years.

At the same time, the next generation of non-profit leaders hasn’t been sufficiently cultivated to take their place. While many younger leaders have demonstrated a willingness to contribute and their interest in taking action, there are still challenges and obstacles that limit their involvement in social-purpose work. Deterrents include a lack of support and mentorship, absence of viable career paths, perceptions about inadequate compensation, burnout, and poor life/work balance, among others.

A confluence of factors has produced a gap between the number of nonprofit leaders leaving the field and the amount of new talent who are both available and prepared to replace them.  “Many competing explanations have been offered, but the result was unanimous: a deep generation gap… [which] is being felt today in the deliberation and anxiety expressed by a range of social justice movements.”

A growing number of studies and articles on the leadership deficit in the non-profit sector all seem to point to the same conclusion: we need to engage more leaders committed to overcoming society’s most entrenched social issues. Their findings reinforce that we still have work to do in cultivating and supporting new leadership, and that there are a myriad of ways society can help inspire, guide, and equip this upcoming generation of social changemakers.

While members of our generation have shown awareness, many are still asking, “What can I do?” We’re looking for ways to become involved, and need more role-models and examples of how others before us have gone about taking action.

While some members of our generation have already demonstrated willingness to act and a desire to contribute, many are still asking “How do I do it?” We’re grappling with personal decisions as to the style and extent of our involvement, and are searching for guidance and alternative options.

And while young adults have shown the potential to make meaningful contributions toward social change, many are still asking, “How do we create change effectively?” We need resources and guidance to learn how to contribute in successful and lasting ways.

The Opportunity

Fortunately, the current turnover in social justice leadership presents a real opportunity: now is an ideal time to consider what society will need to solve the challenges of today (and the future), and to bring together the generations—retiring and upcoming—to share in that work. As the authors of the study Next Shift note, if we can use this opportunity to tell our stories and engage in dialogue, we can “motivate all of us—younger and older leaders—to come together to chart common and effective strategies for the future…[This is] a chance to consider issues related to leadership in ways that leave us better able to address the needs of our communities and nation.”

Many of the now-retiring leaders are great sources of inspiration and wisdom. If we can engage them in sharing their stories and experiences, their varied approaches and achievements could inspire others into action. Their successes and struggles could provide us with insights about the nature and pace of social change. And their current vantage points could help us to direct our ideas and efforts more effectively. As Ashoka Founder Bill Drayton argues, “The entrepreneur’s own life story is in itself a beacon encouraging hundreds of others to care and to take initiative.”  We have a lot to learn from this retiring generation, and our ability to continue to create significant social change will require an understanding of their efforts and experiences.

And for the many retiring leaders themselves, nurturing future leaders as mentors and partners in dialogue could be an important new role. Helping to shape those who will follow in their footsteps could reinforce that these leaders still have much to contribute, and could provide them with a meaningful way to stay involved as they slowly stop running the day-to-day operations of their organizations.

Continue to: Project Leadership…