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It is my pleasure to present Volunteering in America: 2007 State Trends and Rankings in Civic Life.
For the second consecutive year, the Corporation for National and Community Service, in partnership with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, has produced a detailed breakdown of America’s volunteering habits and patterns by state and region. This report is a valuable tool for states, community leaders, and service organizations to expand the ranks of American volunteers and help build a culture of service and citizenship as President George W. Bush called for in his 2002 State of the Union Address.
Since issuing last year’s Volunteering in America report, the Corporation released another report that for the first time tracked volunteer rates over a 30-year period. The report illustrates how volunteer rates in the first decade of the 21st century are at a historic high—a trend not totally unexpected given the renewed national interest in volunteering and civic engagement after the terror attacks of 2001 and the hurricanes of 2005.
Indeed, these events have helped build Americans’ understanding that service and volunteering aren’t just nice things to do but are necessary parts of how our nation deals with its challenges. What’s more, the events taught the nation to look beyond occasional manmade and natural disasters to ongoing social and economic needs that are disasters in their own right: the 15 percent of American children who live below the poverty line, the 15 million children who need mentors, and the millions of elderly people who need help living independently in their homes. As the nation continues to face competing social needs, service and volunteering—as well as an increasingly engaged and active citizenry—are cost-effective ways to improve lives and strengthen communities.
This year’s report includes several new features and findings that present a deeper understanding of volunteering and its connection to the broader civic health of our nation. With input from national experts in civic engagement, we’ve created a new Civic Life Index based on such factors as voting rates, attendance at public meetings, and the prevalence of civic associations. This report also looks at volunteer retention and finds that one-third of volunteers do not continue to serve the following year—an alarming fact that calls out for action to improve volunteer management practices and strengthen non-profit infrastructure.
For the first time, this report also provides us with a sense of the level of “informal” volunteering in America— an additional 5.3 million Americans worked with their neighbors to fix or improve their communities. This trend shows that the strength of the American tradition of volunteering runs even deeper than previously measured. Informal volunteering is also factored into the Civic Life Index.
In short, out of the tragedy of 9/11 and the devastation of hurricanes has come an unmistakable good: a strong interest in volunteering and community involvement. But even though volunteer rates remain at historically high levels, we have a long road ahead to tap the full potential of American compassion. In traveling that road, reports such as this can be a useful tool in achieving our national goal of increasing the number of volunteers in America to 75 million by 2010.
David Eisner, Chief Executive Officer
Corporation for National and Community Service
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