United States

In this Research to Practice, Steven Howlett reviews a recent research report that delves into how middle-aged and older Americans spend their time when they’re not at work. Published in January 2010 by AARP in Washington, D.C., this report collects information from a comprehensive survey of Americans over age 45 (with a smaller sample of younger Americans for comparative purposes). Although the report itself is largely descriptive, Howlett reveals that it outlines what organizations older Americans belong to, how they make connections and build communities, and what, if any, volunteering they do. The valuable insights offered in this research can be used to examine the latest volunteer trends in older Americans and to draw out implications for practice in the US and elsewhere.

Is the worst of the recession over? Many nonprofits are still feeling a dual pinch - more clients to serve and less money to do it with. But despite the downturn, many organisations seem to report steady volunteer numbers. Anecdotal evidence from the UK even suggests that problems in the private sector may be resulting in new volunteers - and ones with exceptionally useful skills. This Research to Practice looks at two recent short reports to try and make sense of this rather surprising but welcome turn of events and to review ways to recruit and create opportunities for skilled volunteers.

There’s a huge train leaving the station, and it’s loaded with resources that many say have the potential to fire a capacity building revolution in the nonprofit/government organization service “industry.” Let’s call it “The Pro Bono Express.” Pro bono is the latest buzzword whenever folks gather to talk about volunteerism and service in the United States. Highly skilled volunteers are not a new phenomenon, but the current twist means that for-profit corporations, especially, are seeking to offer the expertise of their employees in strategic ways that make a difference to the community.  

But what’s powering this train? What is it carrying? Can the promise be delivered? And why are some nonprofits and government organizations already on board and others concerned they’ll be left waving at the station? In this e-Volunteerism feature, author David Warshaw explores these questions and argues that finding a way to engage pro bono volunteers should be on every organization’s agenda.  

In 1990, the Bethlehem Area School District in Bethlehem, PA., decided that every public high school student would perform 60 hours of unpaid community service during high school. The District gave students an open-ended list of approved organizations where they could perform this service, and named Phyllis Walsh, a teacher in the District for 21 years, as the first Community Service Coordinator. When the new program launched in the fall of 1990, two students and their parents filed suit against the District, arguing that the mandatory community service program violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments and constituted involuntary servitude in violation of the Thirteenth Amendment.  Three years later, the United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit Federal District Court ruled that a school district did not violate any rights by requiring community service. This lawsuit - Steirer by Steirer v. Bethlehem Area School District - set precedent for the rest of the United States and was a cause célèbre at the time.

In this Voices from the Past, Phyllis Walsh, now retired, gives a first-hand account of what it was like to be the center of attention in defending student service.  She notes that bumper stickers about the case can still be seen in the Bethlehem area, sporting the rallying cry: “End Slavery at Liberty and Freedom!” - a direct reference to Liberty High School and Freedom High School, the two schools involved in this landmark case.

 

The Internet increasingly provides a means for nonprofits and government organizations to engage with people in their circles of influence. More and more organizations are blogging and posting YouTube videos and, more importantly, a great many organizations are asking their volunteers to blog on their behalf, to share photos of their events and to tweet about upcoming opportunities. In this way, organizations reach  volunteers in the spaces where they are already comfortable and engage them around their passions. And while working to increase the volunteers’ connection with the organization, we also spread our message to all of their friends.

This Training Design is not intended to be a how-to for online volunteer engagement. Rather, it will help participants identify opportunities to use social media in their volunteer engagement strategy. After the training session, participants will be able to develop the strategy for one or two small and simple Web2.0 initiatives. Those who started the training feeling overwhelmed or apprehensive about social media will leave feeling excited about the abundant opportunities that these technologies afford.

Paula J. Beugen, an active leader in the field of volunteerism and volunteer resources management for more than three decades, has observed legislation passed in her home state of Minnesota from the 1980s to the present. In this e-Volunteerism feature, Beugen asks why the needs of community volunteer programs and volunteers seem to be the lowest or last-to-get priority in policy conversations – and what the field of volunteer resources management can do about it.  

Beugen begins with the story of how she worked to raise the allowable volunteer mileage tax deduction rate, including her testimony at a Congressional hearing on volunteerism in 1980.  She then details public policy strategy carried out first by the former Minnesota Office on Volunteer Services and more recently by the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration. Finally, she discusses 2009 legislative advocacy efforts around both the resurfaced mileage deduction issue and the Serve America Act. Throughout her important story, Beugen elaborates on lessons learned through this timeline and history, asking readers to think about their own  volunteerism public policy experiences. She urges more advocacy to strengthen the infrastructure and capacity of volunteer programs and volunteers, stating, “We can and must come together.”  She poses some provocative and timely challenges to the field – both inside and outside the United States.

In these incredibly difficult economic times, there is perhaps one silver lining: volunteer resources.  For those organizations wise enough to seize it, the economic crisis can be viewed as an opportunity to take advantage of the skills and ambitions that today’s volunteers have to offer.  This Training Design can be used to guide volunteer leaders in exploring the challenges and opportunities of volunteer management during economic distress. Participants in the training  learn six strategies to capitalize on volunteer resources during tough times. The result?  A win-win for both organizations and volunteers.

 

During this economic downturn, volunteer experience and accomplishments may be pivotal to getting a foot in the door for a paid job interview.  It's important that volunteers know how to present relevant volunteer experience in a "business light" on a resume — whether it's a student seeking that first real job, a retiree looking for part-time work or someone actively job hunting after a layoff. In this e-Volunteerism feature story, we review resume recommendations and four resume examples to see how job seekers incorporate their volunteer experiences into stronger resumes.

During the 1980s, Ivan Scheier started a small publishing operation in Boulder, Colorado called Yellowfire Press. At Yellowfire, he produced a range of monographs and small booklets on subjects that interested him. In 1984, he wrote Meanwhile…Back at the Neighborhood, in which he considered one of his favorite topics: developing real “community” at the most local level and in the best, informal ways.  In this excerpt from the opening sections, Ivan defines “neighborhood,” the role of a “neighborhood enabler,” and ways to cultivate common ground.