History of Volunteering

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March Hot Topic: How Serving the Volunteer Field Has Changed after 35 Years – Or Not?

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Thu, 03/01/2012 - 16:51

Energize is celebrating its 35th birthday this month!  What has changed since 1977 in how we do business, and also in the volunteer world?  On the surface, a lot.  But maybe the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Take a look back with Susan and share your thoughts, too.

Volunteering England Shares Its Wealth

Submitted by Susan J Ellis
on Mon, 02/13/2012 - 14:59

Volunteering England has just announced the launch of its new Employer Supported Volunteering Resource Hub, an outgrowth of work done last year for a European Year of Volunteering project.   This site has all sorts of resources for employers wanting to sponsor employee volunteering and for volunteer-involving organizations receiving those business volunteers.   They have posted free practical guides and tookits to implement or develop an ESV program.  Good stuff!  (And applicable wherever you are.)

Volunteering and Social Change

Submitted by Lindsay Liprando
on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 00:00

Paul Revere earned his living as a silversmith. But what do we remember him for? His volunteer work. All activism is volunteering in that it’s done above and beyond earning a living and deals with what people really care passionately about. Remember, no one gets paid to rebel. All revolutions start with volunteers.
- Susan J. Ellis

To me, it seems that most people think of words like “advocacy,” and “activism” as being quite different from words like “volunteering” and “service.” I like the quote above because it shows that this is a false dichotomy. Activists are “volunteers in the vanguard,” helping to change public opinion and pave the way for needed reforms.  One important element of even the most traditional service opportunities is that they can open volunteers’ eyes to broader social problems and create articulate advocates for your organization’s cause.

Below is an excerpt from Susan J. Ellis and Katherine H. Campbell’s By the People: A History of Americans as Volunteers

Book Excerpt: Volunteers in the American Revolution

Submitted by Lindsay Liprando
on Tue, 07/07/2009 - 00:00

In honor of the just-passed American July 4th holiday, here are excerpts from the first chapter of the book, By the People: A History of Americans as Volunteers, by Susan J. Ellis and Katherine H. Campbell. It’s easy to forget the critical role volunteers played in the fight for independence, so what better time to remember? (For our friends to the north – you can read about the history of volunteering in Canada in this free PDF.)

There were a number of ways that the average citizen could play an active part in the growing rebellion. Economic pressure on England was an important weapon. The Boston Tea Party was but one of many citizen efforts. Though the colonists had grown dependent upon the goods of the mother country, boycotts of British products were attempted, usually successfully, all over the colonies…

After the Stamp Act, colonists resolved to abstain from buying and using such diverse items as loaf sugar, coaches and carriages of all types, imported hats, gold and silver lace

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