How Nonprofit Volunteerism Has Changed Over the Years - Research Paper Example

How Nonprofit Volunteerism Has Changed Over the Years Abstract Recruiting and retaining volunteers is crucial for the success and ongoing work of nonprofit organizations. Volunteering is changing due to emerging volunteer trends as a result of demographic and economic variables. As a result, nonprofit organizations need to be able to adjust to the changing needs and interests of volunteers. As recruiting becomes more difficult, organizations need to find new ways to attract short-term and long-term volunteers, possibly by using new technology or even attracting virtual volunteers. In order to succeed, companies are going to have to be able to implement strategic organizational changes. This paper will compare volunteer trends in both the United States and Canada. Introduction Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” A general definition of volunteerism or volunteer is a person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertake a service or one who renders a service or takes part in a transaction while having no legal concern or interest (Merriam Webster dictionary, n.d.). In a way, volunteerism can be looked upon as servant leadership.  According to author Robert K. Greenleaf, the servant-leader is servant first.  Volunteerism begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve and is also able to do so.  Then conscious brings one to aspire to lead.  The best test for becoming a servant leader is to ask if those served grow as persons:  do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, and more likely themselves to become servants?  Also, it is essential to assess what is the effect on the least privileged in society. It is important to ask if the volunteer act will benefit the disadvantages section, or, at least, not further deprived them (Greenleaf, 2002).   Volunteers are essential components of most nonprofit programs as they provide services to clientele who might not otherwise be served. As such, it can be stated that volunteerism is an important service that enables the non-profit organizations to manage their resources and deliver on their goals. As with any movement, volunteerism has undergone significant changes over the years. This study would trace the changes in the volunteering trends in the US and Canada and highlight the various aspects that are responsible for the changing trends. The Changing Face of Volunteerism Volunteerism has changed over the history as new approaches and methods to volunteer have evolved. Also, there are new challenges related to volunteerism due to the changing lifestyle of people that makes them lead a much busier life and have little time for activities like volunteerism (Campbell, 2000).One of the emerging volunteer trends is that the recruitment of volunteers is becoming increasingly difficult.  It is seen that in recent times, it has been noticed that it is difficult to recruit volunteers and among those recruited, it is difficult to find recruiters who would stay for a longer period (Graff, 2002). .One of the reasons that people are declining to volunteer is because of the recovery of a desire for work/life balance and the return to spending more quality time with family (Lucas and Williams, 2000). This leaves little room to indulge in any other activities like volunteering for a non-profit organization. Some of the empirical research now available supports the contention that there is a declining trend in the number of people who volunteer and the total amount of time that they spend in volunteering. In a 2000 Canadian survey, volunteer participation in the three year period from 1997 to 2000 experienced a 5% drop in the number of volunteer hours volunteered in a year (Graff, 2002). That represents a decrease of 29,000 full-time year-round volunteer job equivalents. Canadian Blood Services (CBS) hired an external consulting firm to review its volunteer program.  They conducted interviews to determine recent and emerging changes in volunteerism in North America, and to make recommendations on how nonprofit organizations that rely upon volunteers need to respond to those trends. Some of these trends found by CBS and several other independent organizations are discussed below: Emerging Volunteer Trends One of the trends that CBS reported was episodic volunteering among short-term workers.  In other words, more volunteers are interested in short-term volunteer positions rather than long-term relationships.  Episodic volunteering consists of short periods (3-4 months) and may happen repeatedly (Graff, 2002).  According to the 2000 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, in Canada only a small minority of volunteers (25%) contributed to over 73% of the total volunteer hours. This essential means that out of the total workforce, 73% contribute only to 27% of all of the hours volunteered in Canada in a year (Graff, 2001). These findings showcase the fact that only a very small number of people are active more consistently in volunteerism. Therefore, there is only a small fraction of the population that contributes to a higher chunk of volunteering time. The statistics above present a very challenging situation because it brings out a prominent issue. The concern is therefore for the future if people area not willing to commit hours to a long-term ongoing volunteer position.  With increasing frequency, volunteers do not see volunteering as a life-long commitment (Graff, 2002). Hence, there is more of episodic activity rather than consistent planning. According to the research done by Graff, within youngsters, volunteering activities hold a secondary place when compared to the primary activities such as career planning and hence, there is a drop in volunteering activity also. Hence, the drop in involvement in volunteering activity has posed a situation where only a few volunteers contributing the maximum efforts. Volunteers are fundamental to the nonprofit organization’s survival, as non-profit organizations are already taxed for resources and are unable to pay employees.  A survey by the Kentucky 4-H Cooperative Extension Office (Culp and Schwartz, 1999) indicated that in order to engage participants in volunteering, it is needed that they are actively asked to engage in a variety of roles and duties, and to accept responsibilities. Hence, when people express interest for volunteering, it is also important to consider their different interests and allocate responsibilities based on those as much as possible to sustain their interest and retain involvement. Independent Sector (2003), an independent consulting firm, reported that the major cause of non-volunteering and lack of involvement is that people are not aware of volunteering opportunities. Nonprofit organizations therefore need to develop better plans to recruit and engage community members as volunteers in their programs. Much more efforts should be taken to make sure that activities as well as the causes associated with volunteering are visible to a higher audience so that it is able to effectively attract the attention of the people. The 4-H study determined that 41% their volunteers remembered being directly asked for their assistance, and this has enabled them to actively participate. Therefore, apart from making a public effort to get volunteers, connecting with people on an individual level can also directly lead to increased volunteering activity. In order to lead and grow volunteerism into the future, organizations have to be willing to implement changes and new strategies.  As an example, the Agency for Volunteer Service (AVS), which is a non-governmental organization in Hong Kong, has done a successful job of facilitating volunteerism.  From 1998 to 2001, several factors prompted AVS to undergo organizational radical organizational transformation (Chan, et al, 2007). The transformation was done in several avenues such as entrusting responsibilities to the volunteers, educating them, removing any ambiguities and highlighting the need of volunteerism in the society. Such an activity not only created an increased level of awareness among the people, it also resulted in higher levels of commitment from the participants. Graff feels that the approach to volunteering has to change considerably because now it has to compete for people’s time by being more creative and more attractive (Graff, 2002). Therefore, coming up with plans that are more attractive can make a difference. For example, giving the volunteers an opportunity to get involved in more than one aspect of volunteering can make it much more attractive for them. Demographic Trends Affect Volunteerism Changing demographics have likewise had a huge effect on volunteerism.  For example, the effects of the “graying of America” has caused older volunteers, who are usually the ones who do the most volunteering, (Foot, 2001) to step back and say, “I’ve put in my time, now it’s somebody else' turn to do it.”  Traditionally, older adults have been the prime volunteer recruitment candidates because they are retired and have more time to commit to other projects.  In those communities where there are a higher number of retired people, recruiting volunteers has become nearly impossible (Ellis, 2002).  Small communities would suffer the most from this trend.   Just like the generational diversity in the workforce, generational diversity plays a large role in volunteerism as well.  For example, the Gen X generation is highly critical, highly disloyal, and therefore very unlikely to commit time to volunteer service.  Similarly, the Gen Y generation members have a higher level of education and are therefore more particular about choosing a volunteer participation, often wanting to be in a position of leadership as opposed to a “worker bee.”  Lastly, among demographic trends is an increase in volunteering as a family.  As the kids grow up, the parents no longer seek family volunteering opportunities, so there is no long-term commitment. Additionally, the families like to mix-up their volunteering and try something new every year (Ellis, 2002). Hence such trends in the demographics have shown to have direct impact on volunteering activities. Sadly, another problem impacting volunteerism is risk management or liability of the organization being served.  Nonprofits have very little money, so having to pay for extensive criminal background checks is expensive, but a necessary evil, especially if the volunteer is going to be working with children or disabled persons. In countries like Canada, many volunteers pay for their own criminal checks, which often proves to be a challenge because many people are not very keen to spend extra money (volunteer.ca, n.d). Last, but not least, the economy affects volunteerism as well.  A study of not-for-profit organizations in the United States revealed that volunteering drops by close to 50% when people are worried about their personal economic situation (Vinette, 2008). This means that the economic down turn and times of depression or insecurity inhibit volunteerism, as people are more concerned about meeting their own ends meet rather than help anyone else. During the time of the economic crisis, the mental state of the people also get affected because they are worried both about finances as well as career, hence; they are not in the right frame of mind to consider volunteering. If the economy flourishes, people feel more secure and are hence, willing to help others through volunteering (Vinette, 2008)). Emerging Strategies for Increasing Volunteerism The key question is what nonprofit organizations can do to increase and promote volunteerism.  A logical choice would be to use the many technological advancements of this century to their advantage.  Social media is emerging as a prime recruitment source for volunteers.  The ability to promote a cause through multi-media uses of photos, videos, and texts, attracts potential volunteers.  Furthermore, cell phones create an instant-communication channel between organizations and volunteers, with their ability to text or alert volunteers when help is needed (Huseman, D. & Hatfield, 2002).  Volunteer Canada created a volunteer management cycle to help build a foundation to support a volunteer program.  The five stages of this model are Planning, Recruitment, Orientation and Training, Supervision and Evaluation, and Recognition (volunteer.ca, n.d ).  Volunteer Canada also indicates that recruiting volunteers is like being a salesperson, as you have to be able to overcome objections. Charity Village makes suggestions for keeping a viable volunteer program in a nonprofit organization.  One suggestion is to review volunteer policies, such as whether or not volunteer expenses are a barrier and if so, could the organization provide expense reimbursement as a way to encourage people to participate (Meneghetti, 1995). Next, they recommend reviewing meeting formats to determine if perhaps a teleconference or videoconference would be a better use of time than a face-to-face meeting.  Another factor in retaining volunteers is creating a buddy system whereby a volunteer can call a fellow volunteer for help or training.  And last but not least, a cost-effective recognition program is an important volunteer retention tool. Therefore, it is clear that a combination of multi-dimensional strategies need to be put into place in order to get and retain volunteers. In some cases, logistical difficulties can prevent a sudden implementation, however slow steps should be taken in the direction of modifying volunteer policies and streamlining the process. A 2008 article in Digital Journal magazine indicated that the Internet explosion brings with it the opportunity for virtual volunteerism, offering a solution to the decline of volunteers in the real world (Digital Journal, 2008).  In theory, it would allow non-profit organizations to access the skills of very talented people anywhere in the world. Often, in many volunteering activities, physical presence is not always necessary. For example, handling the administrative work, doing data entry or advertising can be handled virtually. This is an innovative method of attracting many volunteers who are skilled and who can sit at their homes and do the volunteering. Many organizations should consider using this strategy to attract the volunteers. Interestingly, the Corporation for National & Community Service, a US based organization, publishes special initiatives, including grants, to support volunteerism.  For example, their Next Generation Grants foster the expansion of national service by providing seed money to help organizations plan and implement new service programs.  Another example, is their Faith-Based and Other Community Initiatives whereby they provide support in a number of ways, including sending AmeriCorps members and Senior Corp volunteers to provide full-time or intensive service to faith-based and other community organizations, which often operate with limited resources (Corporation for National & Community Service, 2011). International volunteerism, unlike local volunteerism for nonprofit organizations, remains popular and in fact is seeing an increase in volunteering abroad each year (Palmer, 2011). The statistics on who is volunteering internationally reflect that 60% are female and 40% are male. Most are between the ages of 20 and 29, with over 66% being undergraduates or graduates. 16% of the respondents were studying while 72% were employed full-time. Also, majority of the volunteers were found to be single with no children, and as of April 2010, one-third of the respondents took at least five international trips within the past five years (Palmer, 2011).  Additionally, the U.S. volunteers were found to prefer multiple locations while those from Africa and Asia expressed interest only in their own regions. This research shows that people are interested in volunteering for international organizations and causes. Hence, organizations can also consider appealing to an international audience to get more volunteers (Bussell and Forbes, 2001 ). Conclusion In summary, volunteering in nonprofit organizations has shown a change in trend as result of changing needs and interest of volunteers, fueled by demographic and economic issues.  Yet, volunteers represent the backbone and are essential to the non-profit organization.  The ability to recruit and retain both short and long-term volunteers requires new strategies and may even require organizational structural changes and methodology. Today’s nonprofit organizations need to look at the generational diversity of volunteers when determining a recruitment and retention strategy.  These changes in volunteerism, including trends toward episodic volunteering and reduced interest in long-term relationships and loyalty to one organization are occurring in many countries, including the United States and Canada, so it is a global issue. References Bussell, H and Forbes, D (2001). Understanding the Volunteer market: The what, where, who and why of volunteering. 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