Using the future search process for senior volunteer service in long-term care

This article describes the use of the well-tested Future Search approach to achieving a common goal through a peer-managed consensus model. The issues and planning strategies forged through the use of the Future Search process are relevant to both volunteerism in general and senior volunteerism in particular. With rapid changes in societal infrastructures, an unstable economy, and rising numbers of at-risk populations, the volunteer community has been and will continue to be called upon to respond. To provide the most effective volunteer service, organizations can employ consensus-building planning strategies such as the Future Search to reach mutually satisfactory conclusions about necessary directions for volunteerism. A specific example of utilization of the Future Search approach, in reviewing the inclusion of older volunteers in long-term care, is presented.