Americans have long been known as volunteers. Since its beginnings, America has been the land of volunteers. Associations, both trade and professional, were born in the US. Americans love to give their time and their money to charitable causes, research and development and professional and business development.
During the last two years, the US (and world) economy has been in a tailspin. The housing market “bubble has burst”, unemployment is probably over 10%, US businesses have had their biggest struggles in history. As a result of these and many more challenges, Americans are having to re-evaluate where they give their time and money and how much, if any, they have to give. In short, volunteers are giving less – a lot less.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel for the economy. Eventually (probably in 2011) our economy will turnaround, our businesses will recover and Americans will will have secure jobs, money, etc.
My question is, will they still be willing to volunteer? I hope so. Let me know what you think.
I think most Americans believe volunteerism is part of the fabric of our lives, and the professional networking that association volunteers enjoy is especially essential to business and career growth. But it’s also possible that like so many other things, volunteerism will change somewhat in the recovery. People may be more selective about the volunteer roles they assume, pushing associations to add more value. And volunteers may be forced to scrutinize time and financial commitments more closely, packing more volunteer activities into shorter, more affordable meetings; relying on conference calls, etc. Actually, it will be exciting to see what shape associations take in the recovery.