New from Your Next Good Chapter
Are you a little bit… underused?
Many people who retire eventually find themselves restless after a lifetime of working and feeling needed and useful. Some come to wonder, "Is that all there is?"
Someone out there needs exactly what you've got. This book helps you find them, about two hours a week.
Get it on AmazonKindle $4.99 · Paperback $9.99
A quick check
- I've reorganized the spice rack. Twice. Once alphabetically, once by color.
- I know the mail carrier's schedule better than my own.
- I've started giving the squirrels names.
- I miss being the person people called when something needed doing.
- I'd help, if only I knew where, and how, and whether they'd want me.
Checked even one? Then this book was written for you.
How it works
Fourteen small steps, one a day
The goal is one volunteer role you actually enjoy, about two hours a week. No big commitments before you're ready.
Quiet the thoughts that say you're too old, too busy, or not qualified.
Figure out what you enjoy, how much time you want to give, and where.
Find places you may never have thought of, and narrow them to three.
Make the call or send the email, with the words already written for you.
Show up once, see how it feels, and decide what's next.
One small step a day.
Inside the book
Friendly, practical, and never preachy
- A quiz to find the kind of helping that fits you
- Excuse Bingo, for all the reasons we put this off
- Places you may never have thought of that would love to have you
- What to do when a role isn't a good fit
- Fill-in pages, checklists, and tear-out cards with what to say when you call
Walter's Take:"For the record, I don't volunteer. I supervise."
A sticky note from Margaret
You may not find the perfect place on your first try. That's not failure, it's information. For years your days were decided by work and other people. This time, you get to choose.
Who's behind this
About Margaret
I'm Margaret Ferraro. For 14 years I worked in Maine as a Mental Health Rehabilitation Technician and case manager, helping people rebuild the everyday routines that hold a life together. Many of my clients were newly retired.
I wrote this book for the next step after getting unstuck: getting back out there, among people who are glad you came.
Someone Needs You
Finding Volunteer Work You'll Actually Enjoy, Just Two Hours a Week
The Your Next Good Chapter series
Small, friendly guides for a new chapter
The Mail Pile Has Its Own Mail
The 1-1-7 Method for getting unstuck after retirement: one small task, one honest reframe, seven days.
See the book
Someone Needs You
A 14-day path to one volunteer role you'll actually look forward to.