Rally at the Capitol

What a productive day at the capitol. The non-profit organization called MAVA (Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration) organized volunteers and volunteer professionals for a day at the capitol. We as professional volunteer managers, rallied for the field of volunteerism and volunteers. My motto as a Volunteer Manager is,"Volunteers Make the World Go Round."  I am proud to work as the Director of Volunteer Services at Ebenezer Minneapolis Campus, part of Fairview Hospitals.

 Many of us met with our state senators in our district for a one on one meeting post rally. I was honored to have met with Terri Bonoff of district 44. My sister and I both attended this very personal meeting. What a down to earth, kind, warm human being she was. I must admit, even as an extrovert, I felt butterflies when we entered her office. She made us feel very welcome.

The independent sector puts a quantifiable number to the value of the hours these dedicated unpaid staff are worth. This helps corporations and non-profits measure the undeniable power they have on our communities. In 2011, it was reported a volunteer's time is worth $21.79 per hour. Up 43% from 2010, this gives you a good idea of the need and contributions that our volunteer staff have on our society as a whole.

Washington, DC released a new report stating that even in a time of prolonged economic distress, volunteering has remained a steady constant, demonstrating that our future sees the impact of giving back. As a part of this report, the John Hopkins University conducted a survey about the impact of the a sample of over 1400 nonprofit organizations. 80% of the organizations had reported a high degree of economic stress with more than 1/3rd, saying it was severe or very severe.

In the wake of these hard economic struggles, staff relied more on volunteer workers to help their organization stay afloat. The study showed that between 2008 and 2009, more than a third of nonprofit organizations increased the number of volunteers they brought on.

Minnesota is one of the top volunteer states, at the rate of  38% with Minneapolis/St. Paul ranked number one among large cities. This is exciting news because it says our boomers believe in giving back and it's a  part of who they are.

Let's keep our political leaders in the know about the importance of volunteerism and the profound effect it has on our world.