Civic Participation Is the Defining Challenge of Our Time

With every act of giving and volunteering, we strengthen our social fabric.

Civil society is America’s great strength. We have a tradition of generosity that derives from the collective efforts of millions of ordinary Americans giving their time and money to the issues that matter most to them, adding up to monumental social good.

And yet this core part of who we are does more than just meet local needs. Everyday giving and volunteering mobilizes communities around shared values. It creates connections across differences. It gives us space to imagine—and create—a better future. It encourages civic engagement writ large—the kind of engagement that is crucial to a thriving democracy.

That is why, while overall giving in America remains strong, the underlying data gives us cause for concern. In terms of total dollars, year-over-year contributions are rising, but they are coming from fewer Americans.

According to Indiana University’s Philanthropy Panel Study, 2018 marked the first time in its research that less than half of households reported any charitable giving. More recent data from Giving Tuesday’s Data Commons shows this decline continued post-pandemic–in 2021, as fewer people donated to nonprofit groups than did so in 2019. Similarly, Americorps found that the rate of volunteering had fallen from 30% in 2019 to 23% in 2021—the steepest decline in the history of their research, going back to 2002. These numbers are worrying, but we also see them as a call to action and a pathway toward a stronger future.

We are the co-chairs of the Generosity Commission, a blue-ribbon panel of social sector leaders committed to casting light on the critical role of what we call “everyday givers and volunteers,” celebrating their efforts, and encouraging others to join them.

The Commission’s capstone report, “Everyday Actions, Extraordinary Potential: The Power of Giving and Volunteering,” out today, posits several hypotheses to explain the steep fall in giving to and volunteering with nonprofits. Economic precarity is chief among them. Beyond that, our systems are not built to encourage everyday giving and volunteering. Tax incentives for charitable giving, for example, aren’t available for those who are only able to give at smaller levels.

Our report points to other possible social factors, including the rise in social isolation, the decline in religious and civic connection, and a broad decrease in social trust. These paint a complex picture of generosity today—and point to the civic power and potential of the very act of giving and volunteering.

Read more: America Must Face Its Civic Crisis

In fact, everyday giving—of dollars or time—is a bellwether of other forms of civic engagement. The University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute, in research commissioned by the Generosity Commission, found that generous, or “pro-social” behaviors tend to cluster. Those who volunteer and donate are more likely to belong to organized groups and even to vote.

In a time marked by vitriolic polarization and an epidemic of loneliness, we can scarcely think of something more important. We know that giving and volunteering are the critical methods by which Americans practice the essential human enterprise of working together with others towards a greater purpose; that they serve as an indispensable bulwark of connection. It turns out, they are also fundamental underpinnings of our democracy.

To continue broadening the base of American generosity, we need to get all segments of our society involved. Businesses can contribute by convening employees to give and volunteer, and building their own social impact programs. Engaging public figures, community leaders and business leaders, and encouraging them to speak publicly about how and why they participate in their communities can cause ripple effects. Taking younger generations seriously and empowering their impulses to innovate can lay a stronger foundation for future participation. 

Further research into the changing nature of generosity, and making research more accessible, are also critical components in any campaign to reverse our current trajectory. And in all this, charitable organizations of all sizes can be further enabled to dedicate resources to encourage everyday giving and volunteering, so that they can reach everyday givers and volunteers at the grassroots level instead of being driven to only seek support from larger donors.

While the challenges facing civil society are difficult, they are not intractable. Significant, coordinated actions across our society—like the recommendations outlined in this report—can reengage Americans in the time-honored tradition of supporting each other through nonprofit groups, and inducting new generations into the same.

There is a role for all sectors, for media organizations, academic institutions, as well as each one of us, to play in this work. In an era when we disagree more on a shared vision for our future than ever before, few efforts could be more worthwhile.