The challenge is that most boomer women are in the midst of already over-packed lives. Conveners who have attempted to draw crowds of exclusively or primarily boomer women are often disappointed at the turn-out. It should, of course, be taken into consideration that due to the sheer number of boomer women in the population, virtually every mainstream gathering will have more than its share of women 42-62. (Think country fairs, NASCAR and, of course, Tony Bennett concerts.) But think, too, of women’s organizations built around themes other than age, such as the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO.) While they welcome entrepreneurs under 42 and over 62, it is boomers who make up the bulk of the organization.

Only a handful of groups that target women exclusively on the basis of age have had a successful and sustained launch, albeit often much smaller than they would have hoped for. (Again, the “busy” factor, combined with boomer’s general lack of identification with their own age group, preferring to identify with others on the basis of their shared passions, regardless of age.)

That said, those who have figured out the formula for their particular take on the subject matter and demographic, have an almost cult-like hold on their adherents. Find the group that matches the ethos of your product or service, and they will embrace you to their collective bosom. Not only that, but if you give them something to talk about, they’ll take it beyond the circle of individuals who happen to show up on any given evening to meet, and to the organization, as a whole, as well as to both on and off-line friendship groups. You will, in fact, be perceived as having not just hit the influencer target, but of becoming the influencer, him/herself.

Following are five of the organizations that offer sponsorships near and dear to the heart of the female boomer consumer. To see which one would be the best match for your product/service, visit their websites and get the sense of how the organization presents itself, who are the other sponsors and so on. To get the biggest bang for the buck, inquire as to whether they have a regional or annual event. If you do put your money into sponsoring one of these, remember that your money will have a much bigger impact if you actually make a practice of attending the meetings—putting a human face on the product or service.

The Transition Network headquartered in New York with branches scattered around the country. Intended to provide support for senior-level women in transition out of their current jobs into their “what’s next.”

Women Sage headquartered in Orange County, California with fewer branches scattered around the country. This one is a non-profit that has monthly salons and annual gatherings. There is a charitable arm to this organization. In particular, they provide respite for caregivers.

Big Thinking Women headquartered in Los Angeles (think Beverly Hills). Very high-end members who gather to provide mutual inspiration and to share philanthropic ideas.

The Red Hat Society, headquartered in Orange County (notice a Southern California theme here?). This is the 800-pound gorilla in the women 50+ category (after AARP, of course.) The Society has 30,000 chapters around the world. They are affiliated with “Hats The Musical”, that I wrote about last week. But they have separate sponsorship opportunities for their impressive gatherings…but only if when you show up, you’re proud to sport a red hat.

Women of a Certain Age. Based in Napa, California, this organization gathers around high-toned themes periodically. Dr. Jimmy Smull and I presented our theories about adult development as related to women 50+ last year. Recently, they did a retreat for caregivers. Smaller than the others at this point, this group is more typical of the start-up organizations you can dig for in virtually every community across the country. The difference here is that unlike many of the other smaller groups, this one actually pulled off its first couple of events and is sticking around for more.

Good luck. And tell them Carol sent you.

Carol Orsborn