The societal trend toward intergenerational programming refers to structured activities or
programs that promote and support skills exchange and meaningful interaction between generations. With the recent surge of intergenerational program initiatives, this phenomenon can be
considered an emergent human services movement. One area of intergenerational program
development that does not appear to have received adequate attention in the literature, however,
is senior adult volunteer recruitment. This article provides an overview of different senior adult
volunteer recruitment strategies and addresses the challenge of recruiting a steady flow of
motivated volunteers. It argues for reconceptualizing volunteer recruitment as a multistep
process, one in which senior adults can sample what it is like to interact with, and learn about,
youth before deciding whether to join an intergenerational program.
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