Wanted: volunteers willing to serve

On a frigid morning at North Cleveland Baptist Church in Cleveland, Tenn., last October, a line of people streamed out the double doors, past the rose garden, and across the parking lot. Over 200 had gathered here not for a free pancake breakfast but to dedicate time and resources for folks they’d never met. This was the line to register for ­disaster relief training.

After Hurricane Helene pummeled the Eastern United States last September, leaving towns destroyed, homes washed away, and people missing, funds and supplies flowed into areas hit hardest. But one thing was in short supply—volunteers.

For Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief, help couldn’t come soon enough. Many of those active in the 1970s when the organization first formed have aged out and can no longer serve. In 2013, the organization, with ties to Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, had 145 mobile units with over 14,000 trained volunteers. By 2023 the organization still had 145 mobile units, yet had dropped to fewer than 3,000 trained volunteers.

The lack of volunteers is not unique to Tennessee Baptists. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, volunteering has declined in recent decades, affecting nonprofits across the country. Various factors are contributing to the problem, but organizations increasingly find themselves considering how to boost recruitment rates.

In 2005 nearly 29% of Americans were involved in volunteer efforts. By 2015, the number had dropped to 25%. During the COVID-19 shutdown, the rate of volunteerism dipped further, to 23%—a 30-year low. Those numbers represent millions of Americans once active in their communities.

An IVolunteer International study released last year suggested four main reasons for the drop in volunteerism: economic pressure and time constraints, shifts in social and cultural attitudes, lower engagement in religious affiliation, and the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown.

Cary Wilcox, executive director for Sierra Pregnancy and Health in Roseville, Calif., said she’s seen a huge dip in the pool of volunteers who help operate the facility, which offers pregnancy tests, family resources, and counseling.

A volunteer helps build boxes for the Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies. Tim Kupsick / Casper Star-Tribune via AP

“We can count on volunteers to help with events,” said Wilcox. “[But] due to the current culture it is hard to get commitments for a weekly three-hour shift. Many people say they lack the time, but the other reason is people don’t want to make a commitment where they might fail.”

Cheryl Vagnozzi, 60, is a full-time teacher who volunteers at the food pantry in Kings Mountain, N.C. Each week, two or three volunteers go out to the Second Harvest Food Bank and pick up 800 to 1,500 pounds of food for the pantry hosted by the Central Methodist Church. Produce, breads, cakes, and other items with a limited shelf life must also be picked up and sorted.

But the pantry, too, has seen a drop in volunteers. That’s tough, because more families are coming to the pantry for help than before, Vagnozzi said. She believes the volunteerism decline is due to economic stress, including a rise in the cost of living, and a shift in teaching the value of serving others. She noted the pantry sees fewer high school student volunteers than it once did.

With young adults less likely to volunteer than older adults, there are few people to take the place of volunteers when they age out.

“Out of eight to 10 volunteers at our local soup kitchen, six of us are 60 years old or older,” said Vagnozzi. “I don’t know what will happen when my generation dies off.”

To turn the tide, nonprofits are giving renewed attention to recruitment.

“Advocacy is super important,” said Wilcox. “We have the medical staff available, but we need to focus on reaching out to local churches in our area so they can see us as a resource for the community they serve. Every church is full of congregants that have gifts they can use to benefit and serve others.”

As it turns out, Hurricane Helene was a catalyst for bringing volunteers into the trenches, at least for Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief.

Including the recruitment effort at North Cleveland Baptist, the organization has trained more than 1,000 new volunteers since Helene hit—more than the group usually trains in an entire year. With double the expected trainees, the organization added extra training days to meet demand, teaching chainsaw safety, mass feeding logistics, flood clean-outs, and chaplaincy. It’s also seeking to bring in younger volunteers through its affiliated college ministry.

“With Hurricane Helene being so visible and close in Tennessee, it captured a lot of people’s attention and spiked an interest in wanting to help,” said Doyle Pittman, the Hamilton County Baptist Association disaster relief coordinator. “We have seen some families, like father-son and father-­daughter teams who have gone through the training together and gone out on calls.”

Catherine Graham is a volunteer with Joni & Friends and at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tenn., where she helps welcome newcomers to the community with the Just Moved ministry. You could say she’s a recruiter, too, of sorts: She encourages individuals to quit looking inward and start serving.

“Go do something for someone who has less than you, somebody who is in need, no matter what it is,” said Graham. “It doesn’t have to be a major deal, but go give and see how that changes your perspective.”