(LEX 18) — A recent nationwide survey reveals a concerning trend for non-profits fueled by volunteers.
In a survey on volunteering and civic engagement by AmeriCorps and the US Census Bureau, participants reported formal volunteering 7% less than pre-pandemic in 2019.
The 2021 survey covers volunteering and other civic behaviors from September 2020 to 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although it's a survey that only represents a sample of the public, non-profits locally agree that volunteers are needed and have declined since the pandemic.
Executive director of ITN Bluegrass, Mike Ginter, says they now realize what they initially thought was a reflection of a moment in time has become somewhat of a trend. The non-profit provides reduced-cost rides to seniors and those with visual impairments.
"We are getting back to pre-pandemic levels. We're not quite back yet. Volunteers haven't returned as they once were. So we could offer more rides to our seniors and those with visual impairments, but we are short on volunteer drivers," said Ginter.
Ginter says they've had to hire paid drivers and place some riders on hold. About 75% of their 700 rides a month are provided by paid drivers. Most of their drivers are over 60.
They're not the only non-profit across the Lexington community experiencing challenges.
"I asked all my non-profit friends. It's definitely falling since the pandemic," said Tanya Torp, executive director of Step by Step.
The non-profit helps single mothers ages 12 to 24 with resources and community.
"There's this hidden gem within the community of people that you might not notice on a regular basis, these are young parents who are carrying the weight of the world and still being the most amazing parents, leaders in our community," she explained.
They are also seeing more demand and are in need of more volunteers to work with their children during weekly meetings and drive vans.
"It comes and it goes and we really cannot do our work without keeping our kids safe," said Torp.
Torp says their mentors are consistent and taken care of but they need 120 volunteers a year for other tasks and currently rely on college students to meet a lot of needs.
"We could not do this without our volunteers. Recognizing that we have such a huge population and such a small staff, the way that we make it work is our volunteers," she said.
Researchers at the University of Maryland believe the decline over the years could have something to do with fewer young adult college graduates giving and volunteering. They also have been delaying marriage, home ownership and kids because of the rising cost of living.
The trickle-down of that is now impacting non-profits in ways they hadn't expected.
But in many cases, they are exhausting all options to figure out how to navigate.
If you would like to volunteer, Step By Step is looking for help for the upcoming dates:
- June 1 & 22
- July 6 & 20
Call 859-258-7837 or email www.sbslex.org/volunteer.
To volunteer with ITN Bluegrass, visit: https://www.itnbluegrass.org/volunteer-to-drive
