Research Brief: Pathways to Service: Learning from the Potential Volunteer's Perspective

As a result of the economic crisis, the nation is grappling with high levels of lost jobs, foreclosed homes, and new fears about what the future holds. In the midst of this unsettling time, however, many individuals continue to reach out and serve their communities. They continue to volunteer, continue to help their neighbors, and continue to organize service projects within their communities. In fact, in 2008 alone, 61.8 million adults donated approximately 8 billion hours of service. This represents 26.4% of adults who volunteered through or for an organization to address pressing needs such as hunger, homelessness, illiteracy, environmental disasters, and other community concerns. Today, over one-third of volunteers (35.5%) drop out of service each year, and do not serve with any organizations the following year. While new volunteers may be walking through the door of an organization, they may not stay, or they may be replacing an existing volunteer. This high rate of volunteer turnover stunts the productivity of nonprofit organizations as they focus on replacing volunteers instead of maximizing impact. This report examines the perceptions around volunteering and the barriers that may inhibit prospective volunteers (either new or returning volunteers) from service. By looking more closely at the reasons why volunteers stop serving and non-volunteers do not serve, the nonprofit and service community can help address volunteer turnover, continue to encourage lifelong volunteering, and promote more active civic engagement. As the country faces broadening and deepening social challenges, it is a critical time to learn about what motivates volunteers to start and continue service. President Obama's call to service will also encourage new and existing volunteers to engage in communities across the country. Specifically, the President is asking for participation in the nation's recovery and renewal through the United we Serve initiative. This initiative works to engage Americans in addressing community needs in education, health, energy and the environment, community renewal, and safety and security. Partnering in this effort, the Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation) is also dedicated to helping volunteers connect with service opportunities through its mission to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. As community needs across the country grow and volunteers respond to the President's call to service, there is a significant challenge facing the nonprofit community. This challenge will be to create a strong foundation that encourages volunteers to keep serving and helps former volunteers and those who have never volunteered before come through the doors of community organizations.