The best source of great Encore Fellows candidates is direct referrals from the Encore community. LinkedIn can be an effective tool to spread the word and let people know about this wonderful program.

1. If you’re not already on LinkedIn, joining is easy and free. Go to http://www.linkedin.com/. Select “Join Today” to set up an account.

“There’s a big payoff from encore careers, for individuals and for our entire society,” says Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures. The nonprofit organization says that 9 million boomers who are already engaged in encore careers began thinking about encores by age 50. Encore careers can well be the crown jewel of a boomer’s entire career.

With the economy improving, you might be considering a career change. Maybe you'd like to quit your present profession and do something completely different, even start a business. You could be primed for a change but unsure what change to make. These books can help: The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Mid-Life by Marc Freedman, Civic Ventures founder and CEO and One Person/Multiple Careers: The Original Guide to the Slash Career by Marci Alboher, Civic Ventures vice president.

What is an encore career? That’s the new buzz phrase being used for people reaching the midpoint of their lives who no longer want to be just “doing a job.” They want a job or career that has more meaning for them.

An estimated 31 million people ages 44 to 70 are interested in transitioning to socially oriented encore careers, according to new survey findings from MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures. But respondents’ answers suggest that about 40 percent are staying put because of financial problems.

Boomers apparently don't simply want to volunteer, they want to start and run their own nonprofits. In a recent study by Civic Ventures and MetLife Foundation, some 12 million boomers said they plan to start either a socially conscious business or a nonprofit during their "retirement" years. In other words, boomers plan to give back in a big way.

Data show millions of Americans are already in what social observers call "encore careers" and millions more want to join them. A recent study from MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures says 9 million Americans between ages 44 and 70 have encore careers, up from 8.4 million in 2008.

According to new research from Civic Ventures, 31 million people ages 44 to 70 want encore careers combining personal meaning, continued income and social impact, but they have trouble making the financial transition.

In Australia, the profound change in life expectancy has created a time span of 20 or 30 years between the traditional retirement age of many workers and their old age. Active older Australians need training to prepare them for encore careers. "If the old golden years dream was the freedom from work, the dream of this new wave is the freedom to work," says Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures.

One of the most obvious sectors for new jobs is health care. And you won't have to become a gerontologist at age 65 to find a position. "There are certain areas in the workplace where having life experiences and having witnessed and lived through some health events yourself is useful," says Marci Alboher, vice president at Civic Ventures.