Volunteering in America Resources

Through its studies on Volunteering In America, the Corporation for National and Community Service continues to deliver increasingly detailed reports on the trends and habits in volunteering across the country, in order to better understand who is serving in our communities and how, when, and why they serve.

In partnership with HandsOn Network, the Corporation is providing specific resources to support the findings of the Volunteering in Americareports. The resources on this page have been developed to help you increase the capacity of your organization, company, program, or community to effectively engage volunteers of all ages. This page builds on resources developed for previous Volunteering in America reports and includes new and updated resources (as indicated below). Additionally, scroll down the page to learn more about and register for three Ask the Expert webinars facilitated by leading volunteer practitioners and researchers.

Featured Resources

United We Serve - Serve.gov

nonprofit readiness toolkit

  • Volunteer Self-Organizing – Resources to help individuals plan and manage projects to bring about positive community change
  • Recruitment – Strategies to recruit new volunteers, including target populations such as Boomers and students
  • Retention – Tips for retaining volunteers and plugging “the leaky bucket”
  • Human Capital Strategies – Innovative techniques for nonprofits during these difficult economic times, including the use of pro bono services, other skilled volunteers, and volunteer leaders
  • Cost-Effective Volunteering – Practical tips for maximizing resources during an economic downturn
  • Voluntourism – Resources for understanding the growing trend of combining service and vacations

New: Volunteer Self-Organizing

Recruitment

Retention

Human Capital Strategies

Cost-Effective Volunteering

Voluntourism

Additional Training Opportunities

  • Ask the Expert Webinars — What does all the new volunteering data at www.VolunteeringInAmerica.gov mean? We found out a few interesting things that we are calling on our experts to help shed further light on. Join in on these webinars with leading volunteer practitioners and researchers and bring your questions.
    • Webinar 1: Volunteering in America, the Big Picture
      July 29, 3:00 p.m. EDT
      Hear all the key findings from this Volunteering in America data from the CNCS Office of Research and Policy Development’s LaMonica Shelton. She will be joined by Peachy Myers, the Corporation’s White House Liaison, who will discuss what the White House is doing to help enable people to serve effectively in their communities.
    • Webinar 2: Finding More Value in Volunteers During the Recession
      August 3, 3:00 p.m. EDT
      Lester M. Salamon from the John’s Hopkins Nonprofit Listening Post Project will discuss new findings indicating nonprofits are turning to volunteers to help fill the gaps during the economic crunch. Shannon Maynard of the Grameen Foundation’s Bankers Without Borders will join him to share strategies for increasing the value organizations get from each volunteer.
    • Webinar 3: Reaching the Young Non-College Adult
      August 11, 3:00 p.m. EDT
      New data shows that many young adults are answering the call to service, but those who have no college experience are much less likely to volunteer. Peter Levine from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University will discuss research that the center has done on this issue. He will be joined by Julie Chavez Rodriguez of the Cesar Chavez Foundation who will lend some practical advice from her experience in the field.
  • General Calendar of Events
  • Consult a Pro