In neighborhoods and small communities, volunteers are often the heartbeat behind the scenes. They organize events, check on neighbors, coach youth teams, serve meals, lead clean-up days, support local schools, and help create the kind of places where people feel connected and valued.  Yet one of the biggest challenges many community groups face is not coming up with ideas—it is finding and keeping volunteers. The good news is that recruiting and retaining volunteers does not always require a large budget or a sophisticated strategy. Often, it comes down to relationships, purpose, appreciation, and creating meaningful opportunities for people to contribute. The principles in the “Recruiting and Motivating Volunteers” graphic offer a simple but powerful framework for building a strong volunteer culture in your neighborhood or small town. Recruit: Share the Mission and Reach the Right People People are far more likely to volunteer when they clearly understand why something ma...

When organizations talk about employee volunteerism, the conversation usually sounds the same: organized service days, nonprofit partnerships, and hours logged in a tracking system. That model matters—but it’s incomplete. What often goes unrecognized is that some of the most impactful forms of volunteerism are happening informally, right outside people’s front doors. It’s time to expand how we define volunteerism—and in doing so, unlock a more inclusive, accessible, and powerful way for employees to contribute. Volunteerism Is Bigger Than We Think At its core, volunteerism is simple: freely choosing to help others.  But globally, most volunteer activity doesn’t happen through formal programs. It’s informal, relational, and hyper-local. It looks like: Checking in on a neighbor going through a tough time Bringing meals to a family in transition Helping with childcare or errands Clearing snow, mowing lawns, or sharing tools Hosting gatherings that bring people together These acts are ...

  When Dan Prater talks about volunteerism, he starts with a simple but powerful reminder: at its core, volunteering is about choice. The word itself comes from a root meaning “of your own free will.” That framing matters, especially when we think about neighboring.  The most meaningful acts of service are not assigned, scheduled, or required—they are chosen. They come from a willingness to step in when someone else is in need. But Prather pushes us to see something deeper. While formal volunteerism—serving with organizations, logging hours, signing up for shifts—is easy to measure, the real story is often invisible. “The real untold story is the informal volunteering… neighbors helping neighbors, friends helping friends… that doesn’t show up on a register anywhere," said Prater. For anyone working with neighborhood associations, this insight is critical. The most impactful work may not be happening in meetings or programs—it’s happening in driveways, kitchens, and front yards...

Most people think of “neighboring” as a personality trait: some people are friendly, some keep to themselves, and most wave twice a year when forced by lawn care season. But what if neighboring isn’t a personality type at all? What if it’s a cause ? In America we have the idea that worthy causes are places we can volunteer , donate, serve, or advocate for too. Hunger is a cause. Literacy is a cause. Animal welfare is a cause. Clean water is a cause. These causes build organizations, raise money, mobilize volunteers, and attract champions. But neighboring — the small, ordinary work of knowing and caring for the people who live within shouting distance — has strangely never been framed that way. Until now. Neighboring as a Volunteer Opportunity When neighbors check on a widow after knee surgery, shovel a driveway, host a block party, deliver cookies to the new family on the street, or organize a yard clean-up for a family in crisis, they are volunteering. But because our culture is train...