By Noble Smith
These past few weeks have been momentous for this country capped by two life-long memories – President-elect Obama’s and the Mrs. Obama’s participatory, hands-on involvement with activities surrounding Martin Luther King Day and the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States the following day. These two events will have significant short and sustaining long-term impacts for volunteers and for non-profits nationally and here in Maine.
Just prior to those two spectaculars, the Maine Commission for Community Service reviewed the impact of recent volunteer service in the State of Maine, statistics of which have huge economic, social, ethnic and historic implications, namely:
• With data compiled between 2005 – 2007, 356,000 volunteers dedicate 44.5 million hours of service annually;
• This volunteer service has an estimated economic contribution for volunteer hours served in Maine exceeding $868,000,000 annually;
• More than 9,100 Maine residents participate in national service (AmeriCorps, VISTA,, and Senior Corps) activities each year through 29 projects and programs throughout state;
• The average volunteer hours per Maine resident equals 41.6 hours.
Concurrently and echoing President Obama’s call to national service, AmeriCorps alum and former Secretary of State, Colin Powell reiterated the President’s urging for all Americans to be part of “Renew America Together”, a commitment for everyone “to make a lasting pledge to serve their communities.”
As a country and, indeed, certainly manifested here in Maine, the mandates will be many, varied, more exacting, yet exciting and will add measurably to the short and long-term effectiveness of Maine current and future volunteer initiatives.
But to measure up to the challenges ahead, all of us involved in the volunteer world – staff, organizers, leaders, Commissioners and volunteers themselves – need to step back, assess and reassess our involvements, our effectiveness and whether we are meeting both individual and organizational benchmarks and goals.
President Obama’s commitment to increased national service, the pending implementation of the Hatch Kennedy legislation, and the increasing numbers of citizens who are volunteering – young and old – all of these factors will have an almost immediate impact on our societies AND on our individual and collective abilities to coup with a greatly enhanced influx.
Are we prepared to receive, manage and effectively utilize our forthcoming volunteer workforce?
Each non-profit, those government organizations and private sector businesses who rely upon volunteers must address that question and set in motion a process of evaluating and putting in motion whatever corrective steps are necessary, a process that must also include volunteers as partners and co-equals.
Volunteer aspirations, staff and professional attitudes and skills and non-profits overall are quickly recognizing that changing mandates and their abilities to exceed minimum objectives have become quintessential. There is an enthusiasm, an excitement and a feeling of “yes we can” all of which are beginning to invade the volunteer world.
However, assessment and planning procrastination must not be allowed to fester! With the advent of enthusiastic and strong national leadership coupled with an increasingly powerful volunteer performance in Maine, we are in a handful of states that leads the nation’s volunteer accomplishments.
Maine already provides many volunteer models for other states to replicate and we now have a perfect opportunity to gain another upward step – but it requires the active and participatory involvement of all who are part of the volunteer movement.
Noble Smith is a Commissioner with the Maine Commission for Community Service and a featured blogger.
