Volunteering, support are strong in Iowa

By Robert Velasco II and Adam Lounsbury

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Iowa's service members and volunteers play an indispensable role in our communities every single day, not just during disasters. And, tellingly, the recently released Volunteering In America report has placed Iowa in familiar territory: ranking our state No. 1 in volunteer retention and No. 2 for percentage of residents who volunteer.

All four age groups of Iowans surveyed - Millennials, Generation X, baby boomers and Older Americans - rank safely among the top 10 when compared to their peers around the country. And, promisingly, the volunteer rate among Iowa's college students ranks our young people fourth.

The uptick in statewide volunteerism was partly born of pragmatism. Now, many cities see service as a long-term strategy for community-based problem solving. After the floods of 2008 showed how much more quickly areas with established volunteer infrastructures were able to respond, many communities have developed centers to help connect volunteers with opportunities.

The Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service (ICVS) and the federal Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) responded by working with towns to create volunteer centers, increasing the number of counties served by a volunteer center by 300 percent through the Volunteer Generation Fund. VGF is one of the smallest federal programs, appropriated last year at just $4 million and born through an amendment to the Serve America Act by Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack. Yet it already has shown itself to have an extraordinary return on investment.

Iowa's communities are better equipped not only to respond to sudden disasters, but also to everyday challenges.

The fact that Iowa is No. 1 in volunteer retention demonstrates the strong focus and high-quality volunteer management practiced in non-profits across Iowa - what Iowa non-profits lack in funding, they make up for with volunteers.

In 1989, before the creation of CNCS or the ICVS, 718,804 Iowans volunteered annually. Today, that number is nearly 900,000 annually, an increase that reflects hundreds of millions of dollars of added services to the state. While we cannot take credit for all of that increase, it is clear that improved volunteer infrastructure has made it easier to tap the spirit of giving that Iowa residents clearly possess.

Robert Velasco II is acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Adam Lounsbury is executive director of the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service. Comments: Adam.Lounsbury@iowa.gov