Volunteering has a significant impact on the community, benefiting both the volunteers and the individuals they help. For many volunteers, there is nothing more rewarding than assisting others, and those who receive help often feel that they are cared for and valued. Additionally, with Christmas approaching, there is no better gift than the act of giving and helping others in need.
Volunteerism is the act of contributing free labor to conduct community service or support an organization. There are plenty of benefits to volunteering, but three major ones are developing a connection to the community, bringing about change in social equality, and improving the economic impact on the world. Hence, it came as a shock to discover the steadily declining rate of volunteerism.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps, formal volunteering is down by 7% from 2019 to 2021, reaching the lowest rate in nearly 30 years.
Despite its benefits to both the community and individual, people are volunteering less, and the most common reasons seem to be a lack of time, the rise of technology, and feeling unrecognized for personal contributions. Although the COVID-19 pandemic may be another cause for the recent drop, overall volunteerism seems to have begun dropping before that.
Volunteering deserves more recognition due to the hard work done by individuals and non-profit organizations for the benefit of others.
“Volunteering helps other people in need,” junior Miracle Thurman said. “From a young age, I’ve been taught to treat people in certain situations with kindness as I would like to receive in a situation and so volunteering is one way to do that.”
International Volunteers Day is celebrated worldwide on Dec. 5 each year. This day recognizes the significant contributions of volunteers and their impact on society. However, it often feels insufficient for those individuals who dedicate so much of their time and effort, only to have their work taken for granted later.
The limited amount of time also significantly impacts volunteering opportunities. According to the Stanford Center on Longevity, the most common reason for not volunteering is lack of free time, with about half of Americans citing this as the main reason. Another common reason is that the volunteer schedules and commitments are too inflexible. People’s daily lives sometimes are too busy to partake in any other activity throughout the day.
The rise of digital interaction is another factor contributing to diminished face-to-face engagement, making it harder to foster a sense of community and connection to local causes.
“Electronic devices have made it harder for people to participate in the act of volunteering,” said Karen Turner, a former teacher at St. Rita Catholic School in Indianapolis. “People are not as social as they used to be, and that’s been a constraint against volunteering.”
Some may wonder how they can volunteer despite the lack of appreciation, the rise of technology, and the lack of time. There are things all people can do to improve these problems. Some examples of that are participating in a volunteering club in Indy and in WCHS like Bring Change to Mind and National Honors Society.
Volunteering helps keep the world thriving. According to Forbes writer Jennifer Sirangelo, volunteers are the “backbone of democracy and civil society.”
“Without the belief that we can make a difference, strengthen our communities, and solve society's toughest issues, what do we have to work toward and inspire us?” she wrote.