First, the good news. There are plenty of young, ambitious and talented people eager and ready, or almost ready, to take leadership roles in the nonprofit sector.

The large pipeline of younger leaders should help mitigate fears that organizations that provide crucial services and social support could be crippled by a “leadership deficit” in the next decade as members of the baby boom generation change gears, according to a new report conducted by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, Idealist.org, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation.

Now, the bad news. Many of those potential leaders are leaving the nonprofit sector because of pay, long hours and what they perceive as limited chances for training and promotion, according to the report, “Ready to Lead? Next Generation Leaders Speak Out.”

Marc Freedman, author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life.

Baby boomers know and fear that they are part of the first generation in American history in danger of leaving the world worse than they found it, writes Marc Freedman in the lead editorial in the March 3 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

“At the same time, the nation — and the world — today face serious problems that need to be reversed in the three or four decades the boomers have left,” says Freedman. “Our challenges in education, poverty, health, and the environment all require a massive infusion of human capital, experience and ingenuity.

The Meaning of Career Development

In published articles and in the world of work, the concept of career development and work placement is understood in two distinct and uniquely different contexts.

One meaning, primarily observed within corporate and professional settings, is understood as a series of work experiences, education pursuits, job titles and duties that must be sequenced for career success in life.