BALTIMORE (Map, News) - As a nonprofit new to Howard, Habitat for Humanity needs help crafting policies and recruiting new volunteers.

Similarly, the nonprofit organization Conexiones is still getting established as a nonprofit providing support for Spanish-speaking students and needs to boost its fundraising.

Enter the Legacy Leadership Institute, which taps into the experience and enthusiasm of baby boomer retirees to lend a hand to the county’s nonprofits.

“I know there are people out there who would rather do policies and procedures than coming in and doing mailings,” said Faye Conley, volunteer coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Howard County.

The Legacy Leadership Institute, run by the University of Maryland Center on Aging, matches volunteers older than 50 with organizations in the community. The program, which also has a branch that pairs volunteers with senators and delegates in Annapolis, is launching a program in Howard with a focus on nonprofits.

“We’re combining lifelong learning with civic engagement,” said Laura Wilson, director of the Center on Aging, who runs the program.

The first step was recruiting nonprofits to participate, and last week Legacy Leadership organizers met with 10 Howard organizations that had applied to participate.

“It seemed like an extraordinary opportunity,” said Feli Sola-Carter, head of Conexiones.

Institute organizers will begin recruiting retirees for the program in January. After a training session in the spring, the older adults will work directly in a nonprofit, bringing their skills to help with grant writing or volunteer recruitment, for example.

smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com