“Volunteering in America”: A Call to Action for Texas
August 10th, 2009 - Posted by Elizabeth Darling - No Comments
Last month, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) released the eagerly awaited updated version of their annual “Volunteering in America” report. It’s true that Texas fell slightly in the rankings. But if we ever needed the spark to get motivated and share the importance of volunteering, we have it now. The powerful data found in this report builds the case to stakeholders, nonprofits and members of the public that volunteering has the power to make tremendous change, both locally and statewide.
According to “Volunteering in America,” Texas is now ranked 36th in the nation (down from 33rd a year ago). Approximately 4.1 million Texans engaged in volunteer service (down from 4.6 million). Yet nationally, organizations have seen a surge in volunteers, especially among people ages 16-24.
I felt encouraged when reading about the national trend of more young people getting involved in service, and I hope you do, too. This holds great promise for our future. If millennials see the levels of impact that volunteering can create, they will develop a trend of civic engagement and a sense of responsibility to their communities. This can create a domino effect, with the next generation engaging in service for years to come while influencing their peers to do the same.
Additional statistics in the report give me even more optimism about the future of volunteering in Texas:
- While fewer Texans volunteered this year, 23% of the state’s population remained committed to volunteering.
- In 2008, these 4.1 million volunteers gave 556.6 million hours of service. These service hours had an estimated economic value of over $11 billion.
- Not all community impact happened through volunteering at an organization. According to the “Volunteering in America” report, nearly 470,000 people in Texas “worked with their neighbors to fix a problem or improve a condition in their community but did not serve through an organization.”
I believe that, if surveyed, a majority of Texans would answer that they would love to volunteer, but simply don’t have the time. They have enthusiasm and passion for helping others, but perhaps their work schedules are too hectic. Or they have too many time commitments. Or they cannot find someone to watch their children while they volunteer. But consider this: last year’s “Volunteering in America” report stated that people who have recently volunteered watch approximately 15 hours of television per week, while non-volunteers watch 23 hours per week. That’s a difference of 436 hours per year—and 436 hours could let you accomplish something wonderful in your community.
While I hope that Texas is ranked higher next year, I realize that rankings are not our end goal. What matters most is engaging as many Texans as possible in positive, long-lasting volunteering experiences, thus strengthening our communities and improving the quality of life for those around us and ourselves.
So I challenge you—and all Texans—to find the time to volunteer over the next year. Here are some resources to help you get started:
- OneStar’s blog post, “Finding Volunteer Opportunities Online,” lists several Web sites where users can match their interests with volunteer projects.
- United We Serve is President Obama’s initiative encouraging Americans to engage in service this summer and beyond.
- OneStar’s blog post, “What’s the Right AmeriCorps Program for Me?” This post notes the distinctions between three national service programs, and lists questions to ask yourself when deciding which program to pursue.
Volunteering, even for just a few hours a week, can make an enormous difference. Find an organization about which you feel passionate, and see if it could utilize either your professional skills pro bono or your enthusiasm to help where needed. Better yet, gather a group of friends and volunteer together with an organization. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish, both for others and for yourself. And your efforts will have a much larger effect than simply changing statistics—they will change your community for the better.
Tags: AmeriCorps·AmeriCorps*Texas·Civic Engagement·Nonprofit Organizations·Pro Bono Volunteerism·Social Impact·Texas·Volunteerism·Volunteers