Whether you are a nonprofit employer interested in further developing your workforce or someone who is interested in an encore career but has not previously worked at a nonprofit, a new report, “A Perfect Match? How Nonprofits are Tapping into the Boomer Talent Pool”, by Jill Casner-Lotto of The Conference Board, provides “actionable advice” for both.

Older workers are more likely to have higher levels of workplace engagement than younger workers, according to a new study by the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College.

This is important because “engagement” — defined as “a positive, fulfilling work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption,” is an important factor that contributes to workplace productivity and innovation, according to the study, Engaging the 21st Century Multi-Generational Workforce: Findings from the Age & Generations Study.

Job openings for leaders and senior managers at nonprofit organizations continue to increase despite the recession, according to a new report that estimated 77,000 such positions were open in 2008 and forecast 24,000 additional openings this year.

In “Finding Leaders for America’s Nonprofits,” The Bridgespan Group says there are too few resources available to help experienced professionals in the for-profit sector fill the nonprofit leadership gap.

Some organizations are doing a great job of engaging boomers in good work – and we think they should get credit for it.

That’s why Civic Ventures and the MetLife Foundation have teamed up to offer the Encore Opportunity Awards. They will honor nonprofit and public sector organizations that hire individuals over age 50 in encore careers that combine continued income with work that has personal meaning and social impact. Organizations that match older adults with social sector and public sector employers are also eligible for the award.

Winners will receive $2,500 and we’ll promote their promising practices widely. Nominations may be submitted to Civic Ventures at www.civicventures.org/encoreopportunity through June 1.

Join Building Movement Project members Frances Kunreuther, Helen Kim and Robby Rodriguez, authors of Working Across Generations: Defining the Future of Nonprofit Leadership, in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the release of their book and talk about the type of leadership we need to move forward in these historic times.

A new survey found that mature adults of all ages and financial status ranked meaning in life above money, medicine and place in defining what makes up “The Good Life” – a powerful indicator of the strong appeal of encore careers for individuals 45 and older.

The MetLife Mature Market Institute’s study, Discovering what Matters: Balancing Money, Medicine and Meaning, found that older adults tend to describe “the Good Life” in terms of being healthy, having financial freedom, and having the time to do what is important to them.

Arizona is giving a stamp of approval to employers that want to tap the experience and passion of older workers.

The Arizona Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging and the Arizona Department of Commerce this week released a list of 46 Arizona employers that have been certified as “Mature Worker Friendly Employers.”

Does your agency, organization or company actively recruit and engage encore workers? Have you put in place policies that make it a comfortable environment for people over age 50? Are you proud of what you’re doing to tap the encore talent pool to meet your organization’s mission?

AARP’s annual Best Employers for Workers 50+ award recognizes companies and organizations from all sectors that are creating “roadmaps for the workplaces of tomorrow.” Applications for the 2009 contest are due by February 13.

If you’d like, the Encore Careers campaign of Civic Ventures invites you to send a copy of your application to chalvorsen@civicventures.org or to 114 Sansome St., Suite 850, San Francisco, CA 94104.

What: Older Worker Demonstration Grants from the Department of Labor.

How much? Approximately a dozen awards of between $750,000 to $1,000,000.

To whom? Workforce Investment Boards and other entities that direct federal, state, and local funding to workforce development programs.

Deadline: February 19, 2009.

For more information: Click here (pdf)