Volunteerism is a core element of society and the nonprofit workforce in the United States. It is assumed to be a positive activity offering benefits to nonprofits, volunteers, and the community. Yet, raising or justifying funding to support the engagement of volunteers has been a challenge for many agencies.
This study explores the reasons for this gap from the perspective of leaders at 27 philanthropic organizations. The findings reveal that these funders see significant potential within volunteer engagement — and have many questions about whether and how that potential can be achieved through their grant partners.
This resource was produced for the Initiative for Strategic Volunteer Engagement (ISVE): a three-year partnership of visionary funders and national nonprofits aiming to transform the future of volunteerism. ISVE now lives within Independent Sector as IS’s Strategic Volunteer Engagement Program.
