Regarding "State ranked low for volunteering" ( Arizona Republic, April 16):
The article outlined a national survey conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) stating Arizona ranks 44th in terms of volunteering, with 24.9 percent of adults having volunteered, on average, from 2004-2006.
The Arizona State University Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management (CNLM) has conducted extensive research that contradicts this data and affirms that Arizonans are charitable with both their time and their dollars.
Research for the "Arizona Giving and Volunteering" report -conducted by surveying more than 1,000 Arizona residents - revealed that 55 percent of Arizonans volunteer their time, with an average of 194 hours annually, or 3.7 hours per week. Additionally, the Independent Sector - a coalition of more than 575 organizations that has produced groundbreaking research on the non-profit sector - concurred with CNLM research in their own study, reporting that Arizona's rate of volunteering is above the national average.
It should be noted that the Arizona Giving and Volunteering Report accounts for both "formal" and "informal" methods of volunteering, whereas the CNCS survey only included "formal" outlets. However, the percentage in the CNLM study far exceeds the CNCS numbers and may indicate a trend in Arizona toward non-traditional methods of volunteering.
The mission of CNLM is to help build the capacity of the social sector by enhancing the effectiveness of those who lead, manage and support non-profit organizations.
As part of this mission, we are continually researching and analyzing trends in the non-profit sector, including giving and volunteering, profiles of charitable organizations, size and scope of the non-profit sector, compensation and benefits, and organizational practices. Our most recent Arizona Giving and Volunteering Report will be released later this year.
In any case, our center's research indicates that Arizonans have a lot to be proud of because evidence supports the fact that our citizens do, in fact, give generously of their time to their communities.
Readers should not let figures from one study allow them to think that "Arizona is bad at everything," but instead allow local research to inform opinions about our social conditions, which, according to our research, indicates Arizona is actually above the national average when it comes to volunteerism.
- Robert F. Ashcraft, Ph.D., Tempe
The writer is director of the Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management, and an associate professor in the School of Community Resources and Development, Arizona State University.
