Ready to Apply?
Great! First, please read our Frequently Asked Questions below for more detailed information about what it means to be an Elder.
FAQs
What are the requirements for being an Elder?
Elders must be at least 55 years old, including each member of an Elder Group at a facility (Facilitators may be any age.)
- Elder Groups must have an established meeting place and a facilitator in place.
- You agree to log into the EWC platform regularly (two or more times per week), respond to a minimum of ten letters within the 45 days immediately following acceptance, and average a minimum of six letters a month thereafter. While each individual and group is different, generally this translates into a commitment of approximately 1-2 hours per week.
- You agree to respect diversity, treat advice seekers and other EWC members with respect, be receptive to input from EWC Administration, and adhere to all EWC policies.
- Prospective Elders must submit an online application, which includes writing responses to two sample letters.
- Elders are expected to donate annually to support their participation and share our social media and fundraising activities out to their families, friends, and networks.
What skills do I need?
- No special background is needed – if you’ve lived life, you have something to offer!
- In fact, due to our nonprofit charter, we offer NO specific medical, veterinary, legal, tax, or financial advice. Further, Elders are not permitted to reveal professional backgrounds to validate their opinions, to avoid them being interpreted as professional advice.
- We do expect our Elders to possess the following: competent writing skills, including accurate spelling (spellcheck is available), punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, composition, and formatting, as well as content (NOTE: though all responses are subject to editing by the Quality team, Elders are expected to proofread their responses before submitting them)
- the ability and desire to write carefully composed responses that are empathetic, non-judgmental, thoughtful, thorough, and practical
- basic computer skills to work within our online platform: reliable internet access and the experience of navigating the Web without difficulty
- an understanding of basic computer functions, including copying/pasting, saving documents, and opening email attachments the ability to check your spam folder for important emails and “whitelist” (i.e., designate as legitimate) senders to ensure future emails from those senders land in your Inbox.
What kind of training, support, and feedback is provided?
- Orientation and instructional documents are provided to all new Elders
- Elders have access to ongoing support from more experienced Elders to mentor and advise on policies, procedures, and questions.
- Ongoing support and feedback are provided by your friends on the Quality team.
- Updates are posted on the platform, or by email, to share news, tips, accolades, and best practices and solicit Elder input and feedback.
- A Shared Resources section houses useful links and articles.
- Kudos from advice seekers are shared and celebrated.
- The Executive Director and Board of Directors are committed, engaged, and ready to help.
- Active Elders are encouraged to serve on an internal committee or as Board members.
Next, please visit our Read Advice page and browse some recent letters and Elder responses.
This will give you a sense of who we are and the tone and style of the letters we typically send to our advice seekers.
Click here: Elder Application_Jan2024 to open and download the application.
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Questions? Please contact the Recruiting and Selection Committee at membership@elderwisdomcircle.org.
You may also contact the Executive Director at sarajane@elderwisdomcircle.org.
We look forward to hearing from you.