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We’re excited to share the news that the Encore Fellowships program has moved to The Fedcap Group, a new home with the capacity, networks and drive to help the groundbreaking program expand dramatically.
Got questions? We’ve got answers.
What’s The Fedcap Group?
The Fedcap Group, a global network of top-tier nonprofit organizations, leverages nine decades of work, globally-renowned experts and evidence-based practices to bring scalable services that reduce barriers to economic well-being. Fedcap is home to a growing collection of nonprofit subsidiaries, including ReServe, which places people over 50 in government and social service jobs. In 2023, Fedcap served 230,000 people, placing 25,600 in jobs.
What prompted the big move?
The Encore Fellowships program is still one of very few programs nationwide that offer practical experience or paid, “midlife internships” to those seeking purpose in later life. To date, more than 2,300 Encore Fellows have been matched with nonprofits across the country, with both fellows and host organizations giving uniformly and overwhelmingly positive reviews about the value of the experience.
Now is the time to build on that success, transitioning the Encore Fellowships program to The Fedcap Group, a national organization dedicated to workforce development and the expansion of the program to thousands of nonprofits across the country.
“The Fedcap Group is the right organization to take the program into the future,” says CoGenerate Co-CEO Eunice Lin Nichols. “We’re so impressed with their leadership, their longstanding enthusiasm for the program and their commitment to helping it reach scale.”
What’s Fedcap’s goal in adopting the program?
Christine MacMahon, president and CEO of The Fedcap Group, has been a big admirer of the Encore Fellowships program and a champion of the broader encore movement for years.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the Encore Fellowships into The Fedcap Group family,” she said. “The Fellowships have become the gold-standard model for organizational capacity building, offering seasoned professionals an opportunity to revisit and amplify their successful careers. This initiative provides a powerful platform for accomplished individuals to persistently contribute their expertise to nonprofit causes nationwide.”
“Leveraging our expansive networks and organizational strengths,” McMahon added, “Fedcap is committed to elevating the Encore Fellowships program to new heights.”
What will change?
In the next year, most things will stay exactly the same. The Fedcap Group has hired CoGenerate staff members Darlene Johnson and Vibha Dixit to run the program, ensuring continuity and program quality. Both Darlene, a former Encore Fellow herself, and Vibha have played significant leadership roles in strategy, partnership development, and program implementation. They will be working with the Fedcap team on an expansion plan.
I’m not familiar with Encore Fellowships. Catch me up.
The Encore Fellowships Program matches seasoned professionals (Encore Fellows Ⓡ) with social impact organizations to boost nonprofit capacity, build strong multigenerational teams, and give people seeking encore careers an introduction to the nonprofit sector.
Encore Fellows work about 1,000 hours over six to 12 months and earn a stipend of about $25,000. Host organizations get experienced, skilled talent at a fraction of the market cost, fill interim positions, build capacity, and experience the benefits of a multigenerational team.
When did you launch Encore Fellowships?
CoGenerate (then Civic Ventures) launched the Encore Fellowships program in 2009 to help older people transition from midlife careers to encore careers, or second acts for the greater good, to boost nonprofit capacity, and to help build strong, multigenerational teams in the social sector.
Our co-CEOs have deep personal connections to the program. The idea for Encore Fellowships came from our founder and Co-CEO Marc Freedman. Co-CEO Eunice Lin Nichols was one of the first to host Encore Fellows when she was director of Encore & Intergenerational Programs at Aspiranet.
What has the program accomplished?
Since the pilot effort, which placed 10 fellows at Bay Area nonprofits, the Encore Fellowships program has attracted media attention in the New York Times, Wall St. Journal, NPR, and many other outlets. Fast Company magazine called the program “a bold and timely idea that wows us …the kind of innovative thinking that can transform lives and change our world.”
To date, more than 2,300 Encore Fellows have provided more than 2 million hours of service to the social sector and contributed the equivalent of $200 million of value to nonprofit organizations in more than 50 US cities. Both fellows and their host organizations overwhelmingly give the program positive reviews.
Have you found new homes for other programs in the past?
Yes. The Encore Fellowships program will join several other programs that were launched by CoGenerate, then adopted by organizations that could better support growth and expansion. AARP now runs Experience Corps and The Purpose Prize. The Colorado Nonprofit Development Center now hosts The Encore Network.
Can organizations still apply to host Encore Fellows?
Yes. For more information or to apply to become a host organization, go to https://fedcapgroup.org/think-tank/think-tank and scroll the Encore Fellowships section near the bottom of the page.
Can individuals still apply to become Encore Fellows?
Yes. For more information or to apply to become an Encore Fellow, go to https://fedcapgroup.org/think-tank/think-tank. Applicants with backgrounds in human resources, marketing, communications, business development, finance, and tech are in highest demand.
I applied to become a fellow months ago on the CoGenerate website. Do I need to apply again on The Fedcap Group’s site?
No. All existing applications have moved with the program to The Fedcap Group.