Now, more than ever, it's time for us to come together, dig in, and get stuff done!
Some would say that we Americans are a self-centered and materialistic people. We spend our time taking up ever increasing amounts of surface area on couches bathed in the sterile glow of giant digital televisions. In the name of technology, we distance ourselves from each other through a web of electronic networks that serve only to sever real connections. Now, however, we find ourselves fat, broke and lonely, suffering our long national hangover, too dazed to do anything about our situation.

But they would be wrong! Turns out, we're volunteering more than ever before.

Changing tides have flooded the nonprofit sector with intelligent, excited, and dedicated volunteers. The increase coincides with a national shift in priorities, and legislation that is encouraging a spirit of civic involvement. At the beginning of April, 2009, Congress voted to send the The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act to President Obama's desk, to be signed into law. The legislation will more than triple the number of volunteers officially serving in this country from 75,000 to 250,000 and establish four new service corps: a Clean Energy Corps to increase energy efficiency and conservation; an Education Corps to help increase student engagement, achievement, and graduation; a Healthy Futures Corps to help improve health care access; and a Veterans Service Corps to enhance services for veterans. The influx of available skilled labor and the cordial legislative environment has produced some very tangible results. The combined force of billions of donated hours has created a silent economy that in 2007 generated $158 billion in economic benefit to communities nationwide.

What are we doing?

Traditional concepts of volunteering conjure an image of someone dedicating their time to do fairly menial tasks for a greater good. There's some truth in this characterization, but it's far from complete. General labor accounts for less than half of what volunteers in the United States do. Almost a full third of American volunteers are involved with fundraising. The other big chunk of volunteer time is spent teaching, mentoring and coaching kids.

So where does all this donated time and talent go? Currently, over a third of Americans volunteer for a religious organization, although that percentage is slowly dropping every year. Around a quarter of those volunteering do so at schools. The remainder of volunteer activity takes place in hospitals, cultural venues, shelters and athletic fields.

Why are we volunteering?

Regardless of how, what, and where people are donating, they're doing it as much for themselves as they are for their communities. In addition to the satisfaction earned from helping others, recent studies have shown myriad personal benefits as a direct result of volunteering. A report titled "The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research," has established a strong relationship between volunteering and health: those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer. This whole volunteer thing sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right? How can you get involved?

Over 43% of Americans volunteer because they were asked by someone they know on behalf of an organization. Greg Scheiderer, for instance, was blogging about an emerging theater company he liked in Seattle named Balagan. "I was blogging about how much I liked the Balagan productions. I think that was a giveaway that I was enthusiastic about what Balagan was doing, and maybe had some useful talents to bring to the organization." Scheiderer was contacted about volunteering at Balagan, and eventually was asked to serve on the theatre's Board of Directors. Greg is now President of the Board. "I really love theater and the quality it brings to one's life. It's marvelously exciting to become a part of that and contribute in some way to folks who are doing fresh and exciting work for the sheer love of it."

How can you start?

There is no need to wait for an invitation. Your church, your school, your neighborhood community center can all use your help right now. If you don't know where to go locally, turn to the internet. Numerous websites, both private and governmental such as nationalservice.gov and handsonnetwork.org provide search engines that link to local volunteer opportunities.

Everybody wants to be part of something bigger than themselves. This, more than any other reason, is why people volunteer. Alexis de Tocqueville coined the term "individualism" to describe Americans. It's not the individualism of selfish excess that de Tocqueville apprehended. It is, rather, the rejection of complacency, the willingness to act, that he found unique and inspiring. So, act! Get involved. As economic meltdown (hopefully) evolves into economic recovery, nonprofit and service organizations will grow in scope and relevance, resulting in an increasing need for bell ringers and board members alike. Now, more than ever, smart, driven volunteers are a vital component of the national heartbeat.