Millennials + Boomers = Great Team? Yes!

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Jennifer Bosk

We saw this article on 99u.com by Nathanial Koloc with the title “Why Baby Boomers and Millennials Make Great Teams” and thought…oh yeah….we have to blog about this. So Ashley, a Millennial, who is our Community Impact Director and Jennifer, a Boomer, who is Vice President of Marketing and Communications decided to share their thoughts together in this post! Note that in spite of their age difference, the two share a love of pop culture and reality TV!

Basically the article said that each generation, while seemingly opposite, had great traits to bring to the table: Millennials are tech-savvy and idealistic while Boomers have skills, knowledge and wisdom. Millennials have potential, Boomers have experience.

Here’s how we see it:

Ashley:

Things that I have learned from the Baby Boomer generation:

1. Experience is everything. – As a Millennial, I definitely don’t know everything, especially when it comes to the workplace. Though sometimes you will catch me professing that I do! However, when paried with someone from the Baby Boomer generation, I know that they have been where I am and probably where I want to be. Baby Boomers are great for building mentoring realtionships as well as a listening post when my views of the “real world” haven’t gone quite the way I planned. This group brings so many life experiences to the table when having key discussions taht everyone around the table listens.

2. It’s okay to be dedicated to a job/cause/etc. – So yes, my generation has a tiny tendency to be flaky with jobs. In a report done by Future Workplace “Multiple Generations at Work” survey in 2012, 91% of Millennials are said to remain on a job for less than three years. This means by the time I am retirement age, I will have had, in theory, 20 jobs!!!! Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing as I will gain experience from all the jobs and have the freedom that I want to “spread my wings”. The downside is that with this freedome that I so desperately want, it will not help me gain financial security as my generation is the worst in this area more than any other generation in the past 50 years. Also, jumping ship does not teach mea bout having longevity and understanding true workplace dynamics.

3. Working hard always pays off. – Work ethic is critical to any job, no matter age, genration, etc. People of the Baby Boomer generation have showed us “young people” that sacrifice is needed when trying to accomplish a goal. Though being consumed with work can sometimes be daunting, there is always a means to an end. With a sense of independence, which my generation seems to forget from time to time, Baby Boomers are confident and self-reliant and are not afraid to challenge the status quo. Because of their hard work, Baby Boomers are more ready to give their opinions to situations at hand.

Jennifer:

So, here are the things I don’t get about Millennials:

1) Failure is okay. Huh? People tell me they grew up as the generation who, although on a losing team, still received a trophy. In my day it was black or white; one winner, all the rest were losers.

2) Their job isn’t their top priority. Huh? My son told me one time that if he needed to leave work early to pick up his child from day care then he’d get up and walk out of a meeting because his daughter came first. Well my kids came first too but leaving work early to get ‘my kid’ as my excuse never sat well with the boss.

3) They want to know what’s-in-it-for-them when it comes to their job. Huh? It’s called a paycheck – what more do you think you should get? What’s this personal growth and development stuff?

So, here’s what I’ve learned from Millennials:

1) Failure is okay. Sigh…what a relief! Millennials have shown me I can try and fail and try again without punishment or repercussions – just so I keep trying to achieve!

2) Their job isn’t their top priority. And mine shouldn’t be either – because there is so much more to a balanced life. Millennials have shown me through their priorities of work and play and varied interests and learning opportunities, they can easily recharge themselves and bring in fresh ideas, more creativity and a positive attitude to the office. Beats the old days of trying to recover from burnout!

3) They want to know what’s-in-it-for-them…and now I do, too! Because while a paycheck and benefits are vital…so are things like an opportunity to be a part of an organization with a great mission or great corporate social responsibility I can get behind; chances to attend classes, seminars and conferences to expand my knowledge and branch out into new arenas; and the time to become a part of a work team that collaborates in an atmosphere of trust and who all want to move their company to a new level.

Here at United Way of the Triangle it is a new day and rather than work in side-by-side departments, we are now each part of collaborative teams that tackle issues and challenges together…each bringing not only our expertise to the table but also the traits of our age group (Millennials, Gen X, Gen Y, Boomers) to shine a light on multiple ways to approach our work.

That new way of working also helps us with our community collaborations throughout the Triangle and the diverse audiences we engage with every day. When we keep an open mind to all who share, no matter what age or background, we can continue to learn and understand and personally grow.

It’s different, it’s exciting, it’s challenging…but most of all IT’S WORKING!

What Sesame Street, my son and others have taught me about “food insecurity”

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Jennifer Bosk

In my day it was known as plain old ‘hunger’. What’s up with “dressing up” the issue by calling it ‘food insecurity’? It seems like now I’m hearing that term all the time. So I started thinking that maybe I didn’t fully understand ‘food insecurity’ and it turns out it is much more than just hunger.

I started learning about food insecurity from my son who is an elementary school principal at a Title I school where the majority of children live in families with little to no income. While he knew that most of the children would qualify for free lunches, he was apalled at how hungry they were. When it dawned on him the children would only eat that one meal each day at lunchtime at school, he implemented free breakfasts for the students as well as provided backpacks filled with food for the weekends from his local Backpack Buddies program.

Another time I learned about the ‘food insecurity’ issue was in a Sesame Street special featuring the new muppet, Lily, who comes from a food insecure home. She’s a pink muppet in a blue dress and she is hungry. She goes to a community garden for food where she meets Elmo and Grover and shares a bit of her story on how her rumbling tummy is about much more than hunger. Continue reading →

We want your computers

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Edwin Jeffords

Teaming for Technology - United Way of the Greater Triangle

Computers waiting for refurbishment!

Undoubtedly, you’ve heard about our computer refurbishing program, Teaming for Technology, right? If not, here’s the lowdown: we take in gently used computers (1-4 years old) from individuals and corporations. Our Teaming for Technology crew and an army of volunteers clean the computer, wipe the hard drive, install a new OS, install Office, upgrade the RAM, and repackage it with all the peripherals. Then we distribute these like-new computers to nonprofits and schools across North Carolina. It’s a great program and a great mission.

Here’s the rub…the entire program runs on donated computers and volunteers. We absolutely LOVE when companies approach us about taking their soon-to-be retired computer equipment. But, we can NEVER get enough. Last year alone, Teaming for Technology refurbished and distributed over 2,600 computers. This year, we’re shooting for 3,000! In order for that to happen, we need companies like yours to partner with us when it comes time to replace your computers.

Most companies replace their computers every 3-4 years on some sort of rolling schedule. Our most successful partnerships that have created the most impact toward “bridging the digital divide” in North Carolina are companies that donate their computers to T4T each time there is a batch within the company being replaced. Not only does your company get a significant tax deduction for the charitable donation, but you can rest assured that the technology will go to deserving schools and nonprofits right here in North Carolina.

Not quite sure about us yet? No worries, come spend a Friday afternoon with us volunteering in the shop. You can see the process first-hand and help us refurbish the computers yourself. We open our doors to any volunteer on Fridays after 1pm.

Interested in learning more? Give us a call, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have!

Edwin Jeffords
919-463-5001

Why is Ben Affleck Eating on $1.50 a Day?

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Jennifer Bosk

(Photo credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

So Ben Affleck is going to eat on just $1.50 a day. So are Sophia Bush, Josh Groban, Debi Mazar, “The Avengers” star Tom Hiddleston and Hunter Biden (that’s Vice President Joe Biden’s son). Each one will spend just $1.50 total each day for their three meals for one solid week. Each ‘star’ is doing this to raise money for their charity and, more importantly,to call attention to the vast number of people living in poverty who must live on just $1.50 worth of food a day.

This week, April 29 through May 3, is the Live Below the Line campaign that’s changing the way people think about poverty—and making a huge difference—by challenging everyday people to live on the equivalent of the extreme poverty line for 5 days. – See more at: https://www.livebelowtheline.com/#sthash.OsrQyEfd.dpuf

Gimmicky? Maybe. But at least you’ve read this far and maybe if I throw in something profound about hunger and poverty you’ll learn something like …In the United States, more than one out of five children lives in a household with food insecurity, which means they do not always know where they will find their next meal.

Did you catch that the above statistic is about the UNITED STATES? Not Africa, not South America but right here in the good ole U.S. of A.! Shocking!

So sometimes we nonprofits need to find ‘different’ ways of drawing attention to issues we hope you’ll care about and want to do something about. While Live Below the Line does the $1.50 day for food challenge, United Way of the Greater Triangle does poverty simulations and the CEO Sleepout. Playing at being poor? Camping out to pretend to be homeless? Nope – not what we want to achieve at all. What we want is for you to participate or hear about the events and maybe it will be enough to get you thinking about how, on any given night in the Triangle, nearly 2,000 people are homeless and sleeping on the streets of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Smithfield. Oh…and by the way, 40 of them will die this year.

But thinking about it is just the first step. Are you ready to take the next step and join in with other community leaders to work on finding solutions instead of bandaid-fixes? Drop me at note at jbosk@unitedwaytriangle.org and I’ll tell you how to get involved.

How can you compete with a billionaire?

Posted on April 23, 2013 by mrodgers

Do you know who Warren Buffet is? Bill Gates? Of course you do. How about Patrice and Precious Motsepe? Not ringing a bell? Well, Mr. and Mrs. Motsepe are a couple from South Africa – and they also happen to be among the wealthiest individuals and families in the world.

Another thing they have in common with Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and most recently Richard Branson, along with another 101 billionaires (so far!) around the world is they have pledged to donate half – or more – of all their wealth to charitable causes during their life or immediately upon their death. They have all embraced a philosophy of philanthropy created by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet called “The Giving Pledge”.

At the core of the pledge is this affirmation: “We are inspired by the example set by millions of people who give generously (and often at great personal sacrifice) to make the world a better place.” Each donor decides how much they will ultimately pledge, and to what organization and causes.

According to the National Philanthropic Trust, 81% of the high net worth individuals in the U.S. that donate to charity cite “giving back to the community” as their chief motivation for giving.

But all of this is only for “high net worth” individuals, right? Well, according to the same report 65% of all households in the U.S. give to charities. And while the average amount of all donations was $2,213, the middle amount given was only $870. You don’t have to be a “high net worth” individual to donate $870.

And in 2011, 73% of all charitable giving came from people – like you and me. And while billionaires can easily afford to pay someone to research the 1,080,130 charitable organizations to decide where to donate, you don’t have to.

United Way of the Greater Triangle supports many successful and vital programs in the Orange, Durham, Johnston and Wake county area. Eighty-seven agencies and 162 programs that focus on hunger and literacy, safety and well-being of children, single parents, homeless and more provide services for the 1.4 million people of the four counties.

That’s a powerful reach that helps “make the world a better place.” And while you may not have the money of a billionaire, your money, along with your neighbor’s and mine, can have a powerful and lasting impact on our world right here in the middle of North Carolina.

Go to http://www.unitedwaytriangle.org, look around our website and see the ways you can help. If you can’t donate money, there are plenty of other ways you can give – donate your time, advocate our mission to help others, tell someone about 2-1-1. Just know that we’re here to support your community, and a better community is better for you.