STUDENTS WHO take a year off between high school and college earn better grades and have more confidence in their career paths. But fewer than 2 percent of American high school seniors take a year off to work, volunteer, or travel overseas.
A new study from DoSomething.org, FastWeb and JPMorganChase finds that college admissions officers look at more than just GPA and test scores before they send acceptance letters. Colleges and Universities want to ensure their incoming classes are also “good citizens.”
In a guest post, DoSomething’s John Kultgen discusses the survey results and how students can ramp up their community involvement before they submit their applications.
A recent, hotly debated proposed law in Georgia would require out-of-work residents to perform at least 24 hours of community service with a nonprofit in order to receive unemployment benefits.
Supporters say it will build the morale, skills, and networks of job seekers. Opponents say the unemployed can’t afford the time away from their job search and there could be undue financial stress.
On March 5, 2012, Network for Good released the The Network For Good Digital Giving Index 2011, which provides important insights about digital philanthropy.
Key findings include that people seem to give more when the online experience is intimate and emotionally coherent. Further, people give online for reasons of convenience, especially at the end of the year and during large-scale disasters.
In this month’s Public Policy Chat, NCoC Communications Fellow Alice Murphy talks to Julie Murphy about volunteerism and how the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act has progressed since President Obama signed it three years ago.
Volunteering and Civic Life in America, released today, finds the national volunteer rate reaching a five-year high, and all types of civic engagement play an important role in community vitality. This data is issued by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) in partnership with the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC).
What is the economic value of an hour of volunteer time? While those who volunteer are, by definition, not in it for the money, attaching a monetary worth to the effort helps us put in perspective the immense value of the contributions people make every day of the year to the lives of others. Yet most volunteers, like those described in this post, will tell you that the real story is not what they gave but what they got from the experience.
NCoC believes that when our citizens are engaged, our communities are stronger and more resilient—and we have data to back it up. Exciting new research released today by our colleagues at the Corporation for National and Community Service further illuminates how civic life is a critical pathway to economic opportunity.
Volunteers provide a powerful economic and social benefit to communities across the nation, with 62.8 million adults serving almost 8.1 billion hours through organizations in 2010, according to research released today by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
The agency’s annual Volunteering in America research finds that America’s volunteers provided services valued at nearly $173 billion to communities and the nation last year.
Between 2008 and 2010, a majority of Americans were civically active in a variety of ways, working with others to improve their communities, according to the 2011 Civic Life in America: Key Findings on the Civic Health of the Nation research released today by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC).
John Bridgeland is the CEO of Civic Enterprises and former Assistant to President George W. Bush, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, and Director of USA Freedom Corps. He chairs NCoC’s National Board of Advisors and is author of a new book, ~1@BODYURL[id=114kcurl323]@
NCoC Executive Director David B. Smith recently caught up with him about the book, and asked a few questions about how Bridgeland found his calling and would encourage today’s young leaders to do the same.
Technology and online engagement provide easy access and low cost ways for nonprofits to solicit donations. Mobile apps, celebrity campaigns, and bell ringers have all tried to capitalize on technology in their appeals. But are true activists looking for a larger connection to a cause?
In this featured discussion, NCoC.net contributor Karlo Marcelo asks:
Do online donors at risk of burn-out due to over solicitation through technology? Or will technology provide new ways to give more small amounts and engage donors?