A climate in which people are motivated and encouraged to volunteer-to give freely of their time and talent to a greater cause without expectation of compensation - is critical to the work of United Way organizations, and even more critical to a well-functioning community's capacity to address urgent needs.
Volunteerism is vital to a just society, fostering civic responsibility, participation and interaction. It strengthens comm unities by increasing their capacity to identify and respond to human needs. Volunteerism creates ownership of the community, its assets and needs, among the people who live and work there. Finally, volunteerism creates relationships at the institutional and personal level that are a vital part of the fabric of community.
In addition, volunteers play a critical role in United Way organizations. They are United Way's greatest resource. They provide leverage in communities to make the critical changes that are necessary to improve lives and they ensure that United Ways contin ue to be accountable to the community and are addressing the most critical human needs. Volunteers lead United Way organizations, governing them and setting policies. In addition, volunteers are in the forefront Of United Way activities—doing much Of the resource mobilization, relationship-building, community agenda setting and other key functions.
Encouraging an active culture of volunteerism is one of the most important aspects of United Way's work-both for its own sake and for the community's. As community leaders, United Way organizations should play a Vital role in the voluntary sector to support and enhance volunteerism, as well as setting an example of how volunteers should be treated, and how they should be directed in a way that truly has impact. This section deals with the standards and practices behind engaging volunteers in the community at large and in the work of United Way.
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