Welcome to this new space, which we’ve redesigned to be more user-friendly and interactive.  I’m delighted to dedicate my first blog to National Volunteer Week, April 18 to 24, and I encourage you to share your reflections on this theme in the new comment box below.

A woman named Chantal and her two children, ages 4 and 8, lived in Petion-Ville, Haiti, a once-leafy suburb east of Port-au-Prince.  Their neighborhood is now a sprawling tent city of 50,000 that also hosts thousands of U.S. soldiers and international aid workers. One of Chantal’s big concerns was her children’s education -- 97 percent of the schools in Port-au-Prince were reduced to rubble – and she doggedly pursued scholarships for them abroad.  When her efforts came to fruition at Lycee Rochambeau, a French international school in Bethesda, Maryland, she began searching for housing nearby.

Over lunch recently, a colleague of mine told me this story.  He had welcomed Chantal and her kids into their home about six weeks ago, and stressed that he and his family have received as much as they have given – perhaps even more.

I share this story to underscore the fact that people volunteer in the most personal and meaningful ways.  Here in Washington, some serve at a women’s shelter near my office or pluck plastic bottles and bags out of the Potomac River.  Some distribute play bills at the Kennedy Center or serve their communities through their church, synagogue, or mosque. Your neighborhood is probably no different than mine.

While volunteering is indeed a personal act, it can also take place in the public square when people seek to achieve broader social change. Concerned citizens may travel to their state capitol to press for more school district funding or they may take their case to Capitol Hill to petition for more wilderness area or better highways.  Others volunteer in an administrative capacity or as board members at nonprofits that advocate for federal immigration reform, renewable energy, or deficit reduction.

Businesses give back through corporate social responsibility programs and through pro bono work.  In February 2008, Deloitte launched a major initiative to change how it handled pro bono nonprofit clients.  The new program budgeted $50 million over three years to support outcomes-based pro bono work and in-kind professional services to eligible nonprofits.  In essence, the organization now recognizes pro bono work as if it was commercial work and rewards the professionals who perform the services as if they were on a paid basis.  The program is very well regarded by those who are its beneficiaries and many have encouraged other companies to take a page out of Deloitte’s book – particularly companies that have products or expertise that is of value to the charitable community.

National Volunteer Week is just around the corner, and it’s a welcome opportunity to encourage more people to get involved.  (Visit our Member Perspectives section for ideas on how to do so.)  Fortunately, the economic downturn has not damped volunteerism – quite the opposite.  The number of volunteers and the volunteer rate in 2009 increased over the previous year. Some 63.4 million people volunteered, which equates to nearly 27 percent of the American population – almost the total population of France. Stephen Goldsmith, board chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service, calls this development a “compassion boom.”

Hearing these facts makes me appreciate the kindness and generosity of fellow citizens who believe in giving back to society.  National Volunteer Week is also an occasion to say “thank you” to those who serve all 52 weeks of the year.  Volunteers are the very heart and soul of some organizations.  Virtually all organizations in our sector benefit from the work of our volunteer boards.  America’s Promise Alliance, Habitat for Humanity, and Points of Light couldn’t pursue their missions without them.  If that describes your organization and you haven’t done so already, check out www.VolunteeringInAmerica.gov as a way to tap into America’s volunteer force.  As you recruit and retain talented volunteers, you can use this site to learn which demographic group prefers temporary assignments (college students) and who prefers tutoring (African Americans).

Finally, National Volunteer Week is an appropriate time to reflect on how well your organization invests in volunteers:  do you allocate sufficient time to mentor them?  Are they equipped with the right tools, whether clipboard or laptop, hammer or drill?  Are they prepared to handle difficult situations?  And have you taken a moment to inspire them to do their very best to advance a meaningful and worthy cause?  To let them know they can make a difference?

Since America’s founding, voluntary associations have provided vital services to our communities.  So central to communities were these groups that one foreign traveler, Alexis de Tocqueville, complimented them as uniquely American.  Whether to help a single individual or ignite change that benefits millions, people in this country have come together through voluntary organizations for over 230 years.

One way to honor our shared heritage is to make volunteerism even more a part of our national identity.  Children should grow up learning what it means to give back to their communities and adults should commit to causes for which they’re passionate throughout the course of their lives.  Doing so could create a national service culture.  What better time than National Volunteer Week to pursue this new American dream together?