Decline in Volunteerism during the Economic Crisis

About two months ago, articles were stating that more people are volunteering during the recession due to the increase in free time brought by unemployment.  A new study demonstrates that the opposite is taking place in what the report calls a “Civic Foreclosure”.

The New Study

The new study is the National Conference on Citizenship’s (NCoC) annual America’s Civic Health Index, which is based on survey data collected in May 2009.  The study looks at the state of civic engagement in America, which also reflects the impact of the economic crisis.

Results of the survey include that 72 percent of respondents said they have cut back on time engaged in civic participation: including time spent volunteering, participating in groups or performing other civic activities in their communities.

The survey also found public perception to support this finding, as 66 percent of Americans said that they felt other people are responding to the current economic downturn by looking out for themselves, with only 19 percent saying people around them are responding to the recession by helping one another more.

A Smart Model for Cleveland

CampusCATALYST is a student-driven consulting corps for nonprofits in Chicago. Their tagline is “Change the world. Smarter.” After a brief review of their business model and operations, it seems like a great idea for Cleveland!

Our town has a powerful network of remarkable nonprofit organizations. They are often in need of support to continue delivering on their mission but sometimes do not have the budget to do so. Like many companies in Cleveland, we offer a special nonprofit rate to help with this gap. However, campusCATALYST has developed a excellent theory of change.