You might call it the perfect storm. Financially turbulent times are creating the impetus for major change in local governments, as jurisdictions are engaging citizens to help figure out how to cut budgets and maintain or improve services. And volunteerism is growing—there was a reported 58% increase in people signing up for new volunteer opportunities last year.

The climate is perfect for local governments to tap into a reservoir of human capital –volunteers—to deliver services and drive economic recovery and growth. Truly innovative local governments will reinvent citizen service as a fundamental part of the organization’s fabric.

This article is an excerpt from ICMA’s latest issue of InFocus: Build a Successful Volunteer Program to Drive Growth and Recovery. 

The climate is right

Although the call to serve one’s community has always been enveloped in American history, recent national and international events have drawn greater attention to volunteerism, and the need for the continuity and increase in service. From the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s to the VISTAs of the 1960s to the Commission on National and Community Service and USA Freedom Corps of the 1990s and early 2000s, federal programs have leveraged individual efforts and created local impact for almost a century.

The recent bipartisan passage of the 2009 Serve America Act, the emergence of the millennial generation, and the retirement of baby boomers have further launched service as a way to share both burden and solution to community needs. This is being embraced on a scale never before attempted in America, and leading organizations such as the Corporation for National and Community Service, HandsOn Network, AARP, Service Nation, Cities of Service, and governments of all sizes are defining it swiftly.

Furthermore, cities and communities are realizing the lasting and overall benefits of volunteerism and citizen engagement. Research has established clear findings on the health benefits of volunteerism, incorporating overall levels of engagement as clear indicators of community satisfaction.

"Levels of civic engagement are an indicator of a community’s interconnectedness, of the sense of ownership felt by residents, of a city’s capacity to learn and adapt to serve the community, and of levels of social capital. Social capital is the networks, relationships, communication, and trust between people that contributes to social cohesion. Increased social capital has a positive impact on reported quality of life, access to economic and social opportunities, and even mental and physical health." (Design for Health, University of Minnesota).

Some critical trends make this a particularly good time to invest in volunteer activation.

Serve America Act

The Serve America Act reauthorizes the Corporation for National and Community Service and its programs through 2014. The bill includes significant provisions advancing the Obama administration’s goals for national service, including:

• Dramatic expansion of service opportunities for Americans of all ages, setting a path for increasing the number of AmeriCorps members to 250,000 by 2017
• A Social Innovation Fund pilot program to provide seed money and scale up innovative and evidence-based programs that leverage private and foundation capital to meet major social challenges
• Expansion of eligibility for the Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent programs
• Simplification of AmeriCorps program management, including the availability of fixed amount grants
• Increase in the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
• Strengthening of agency management to support expansion.

Rise of workplace volunteerism

The concept of corporate citizenship—the belief that companies have an obligation to actively maintain the health and well-being of the communities in which they do business—has formally existed in the United States since the early 1950s. However, over the past two decades, a growing number of business leaders have come to view corporate citizenship, including volunteerism, as not just “the right thing to do,” but as a key business imperative that can generate value for the company, its employees, and the community. Leading corporations have taken local and national approaches to support cities in their efforts.

Employee volunteerism is not just for the private sector. Some municipalities have established employee volunteer programs for their public employees.

Corporations have found that corporate responsibility and philanthropy is more than courtesy; it is good business. The emergence of Corporate Volunteer Councils in many metropolitan areas enabled greater visibility of these efforts to support and advocate for such service. Often cited as beneficial for team building and morale, corporate service outreach is a method used by the business sector to build reputation, extend brand, and appeal to the emerging millennial generation in the workforce.

Employee volunteerism is not just for the private sector, however. Municipalities such as Plano, Texas, have established employee volunteer programs for their public employees. Plano’s Workplace C.A.R.E.S. Program (City Advocates Recruiting Employees into Service) began in 1998 as a way to assist employees in connecting with service in the community. Since then, the internal committee that coordinates this effort reports that 100 volunteers have given more than 4,000 hours of service to the community, contributing to the program’s purpose, which helps to “increase employee morale, build leadership skills, and increase collaboration between city departments.” (From www.plano.gov)

Cities of Service movement

Cities of Service (citiesofservice.org) is a bipartisan coalition of the mayors of large and small cities from across America who are working together to engage citizens to address the great challenges of our time. Founded in New York City in September 2009, and under the championship of Mayor Bloomberg, the coalition and its member cities are finding new and innovative ways to harness the power of volunteers to help solve pressing local challenges. Since its launch in September 2009, the coalition has grown from 17 founding mayors to more than 90 mayors representing more than 45 million Americans across the nation. Each city has pledged to lead multi-year efforts to accomplish the following: 

• Develop a comprehensive service plan and a coordinated strategy focused on matching volunteers and established community partners to the areas of greatest local need
• Advance strategies and best practices that accelerate the service movement and produce measurable results
• Encourage others to join this national effort to engage citizens
• Ensure that the voices of cities are heard in federal legislative, policy, and program discussions related to service. 

Established models of success

Several established program models showcase the potential of civic efforts to address city needs largely through a volunteer workforce.

Teach for America Teach for America recruits outstanding recent college graduates from all backgrounds and career interests to commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools in low-income communities. Pushing the Build a Successful Volunteer Program to Drive Growth and Recovery teachers and students to go beyond traditional expectations, Teach for America shows that everyday citizens have the power to address educational inequities.

VITA The VITA Program utilizes volunteers to provide free tax help to low- to moderate-income people, as well as the elderly and military personnel, tapping the power of volunteers to economically empower individuals.

Project Homeless Connect Project Homeless Connect, founded under the direction of Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco, California, builds partnerships between government agencies, nonprofits, and the private sector to provide a one-stop shop of health and human services for homeless San Franciscans, offered every two months. Services include dental and eye care, food, HIV testing, hygiene products, medical and mental health care, legal advice, voice mail and much more and showcase the power of partnerships across sectors to address human needs in an efficient, effective manner.