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Investing in Social Innovation

The president outlined these steps:

Social Innovation Fund: The Serve America Act includes $50 million "to give organizations the resources they need to reach their fullest potential and have their fullest impact."
What Works Fund: A $650 million fund in the Department of Education for "investing in the most successful, highest-impact initiatives in our school districts and communities."
Domestic Policy Council: Melody Barnes, head of the Domestic Policy Council, will travel the country "to discover and evaluate the very best programs in our communities."

Encore Career Advice

How to Maximize Your Social Security Check

Posted 06/29/2009 - 10:04am

How can you get the highest possible Social Security payouts during retirement? U.S. News & World Report recommends these strategies:

Delay claiming. You can begin claiming Social Security at age 62, but your checks will be reduced by 25 to 35 percent. Boomers born between 1943 and 1954 should wait until age 66 to receive the maximum payout. The full retirement age gradually rises for those born later, with benefit checks increasing 7 to 8 percent for each year you delay claiming up to age 70.

Work longer. Because Social Security payouts are based on your 35 highest-earning years in the workforce, it’s smart to keep working longer. If you continue to work after you sign up for Social Security, your checks will be reduced temporarily, but they will increase later.

Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve When You Interview

Posted 06/08/2009 - 1:47pm

By Laura Gassner Otting

You’re called in for an interview for the job that could launch your encore career. The standard advice would be to promote your achievements, but that may not be the best strategy. Instead, voice your passion about this new stage in your life and share the “aha!” moment that set you on your new path.

Job seekers transitioning into the nonprofit sector are often filled with assumptions and expectations about the sector itself, some true and some not. Likewise, the nonprofit sector is teeming with assumptions and expectations about these job seekers. To avoid being stereotyped, encore careerists need to stand out in a different way.

How to Find a 'Green' Encore Career

How to Find a 'Green' Encore Career
Posted 11/21/2008 - 4:52pm

As a veteran journalist, Lynne Curry (left) knows how to spot trends. Newspapers and magazines are slashing their budgets, cutting into her income. But the new category of “green-collar jobs” is growing fast, despite the economic slowdown. So Curry earned a credential as a green building specialist.

Politicians and entrepreneurs alike herald green jobs as the next big thing to boost the ailing economy and fight climate change. And the new green economy is creating a host of encore career opportunities as well.

How to Finance the Transition to Your Encore Career

How to Finance the  Transition to Your Encore Career
Posted 11/21/2008 - 3:41pm

The break between your midlife work and your encore career can be as short as a weekend or as long as several years. Either way, planning ahead can increase the chances for a successful encore career and save you some money as well

Encore Career Resources

The Idealist Guide to Nonprofit Careers for Sector Switchers

Posted 11/25/2008 - 4:50pm

By Steven Pascal-Joiner with Meg Busse. Action Without Borders, 2008
This essential resource for encore jobseekers outlines how to move from volunteering to rewarding nonprofit careers. Author Steven Pascal-Joiner digs into the differences between nonprofit work and jobs in other sectors, helping readers reframe their resumes and find meaningful employment. A free download is available at www.idealist.org. The print edition, $55.70, is available from Lulu.com.

Encore.org Calendar

Posted 05/07/2009 - 10:50am

Check out events in your area that can help you find an encore career. Visit the Encore.org Calendar. To suggest an event for the Calendar, send details to Terry Nagel at tnagel@civicventures.org.

The Partnership for Public Service

Posted 11/25/2008 - 9:01am

The Partnership for Public Service is working to make the government an employer of choice for talented, dedicated Americans. The Partnership has a particular interest in encouraging boomers transitioning from the private sector to make encore careers in government service.

Capturing Experience: How People 50+ Can Help Your Organization

Posted 11/18/2008 - 3:40pm

This interactive online tutorial for nonprofit employers has interactive tools to help them attract and retain paid and unpaid workers age 50 and older. Topics include assessing workforce capabilities, marketing to older adults and job “sculpting.” It’s available free here.