Joy and fulfillment at Companis partner agency Queer Power Alliance in Seattle, with Taylor Farley, E.D. (left) and volunteer Viola Eldred, now in her third year of Companis service there.
By Gary Davis, Executive Director
Our nation has witnessed a steady decline in volunteer rates this century. During the Covid pandemic those rates – unsurprisingly – plummeted even further. Researchers cite the breakdown of community structures (all those things that bring people together), as well as the isolating impacts of technology. Last year, though, volunteer rates rebounded a bit out of the pandemic years, increasing by 5% nationally from 2023, to about 24% overall, according to a November 2024 Americorps (U.S. government) report.
At Companis, we witnessed something even more positive. Our volunteer placements doubled from 2023 to 2024, to 111 total placements in King and Snohomish counties last year. The demand continues apace this year. Not only did we see more people contact us to find a volunteer opportunity, we began recruiting through additional channels, including higher education online networks, community volunteer fairs, professional group presentations and more. We also set a record for the number of nonprofits we partnered with in a single year: 67. For an update on 2025, read Assoc. E.D. Jillian Harmon’s latest update on placements. You can see the list of our nonprofit partners in 2024-25 by service category here. We’re heartened by what we’ve seen, as people are responding to their own desire to find fulfillment and end isolation through community service.
April is International Volunteer Month
With the demand for our services growing exponentially, we’re excited to welcome International Volunteer Month. The world celebrates volunteerism in April, and that includes a national emphasis on the power and importance of volunteers. Of course, this is Companis’ focus every month of the year. We’ll be highlighting some of our stories during National Volunteer Week, April 20-26, culminating in Companis Giving Days on April 24th and 25th. You’ll be hearing more about the campaign as April progresses. Companis Giving Days are important annual event that sustains our work and helps us meet the demand for our services, both from area nonprofits who seek vital Companis assistance, and from those ready to serve their community. We’re proud to address the importance of community service given its profound effects on personal and community health.
Volunteering: Antidote to an American Health Crisis
Making a decision to volunteer can be followed by confusion on how to find a great opportunity. That’s where we come in. Companis is a navigator for people seeking fulfillment and connection through community service. One of our most recent volunteer placements, Golden Davenport, served with Sports In Schools. About fulfillment, Golden says, “It’s (Companis is) a great way to use your talents in ways you might not be able to in your full-time career—and make a real difference.” You can read Golden’s Companis story here.
But our nation, in particular, struggles, as we find ourselves more disconnected from one another, and our collective sense of community challenged.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is continuing his eloquent and inspiring work on this issue. Dr. Murthy has called out our national ‘epidemic of loneliness’ during his tenure, and he continues to speak out about it with urgency. It’s a public health crisis, he says. What’s the treatment? Service to others is prominent.
“The primary drive to do service isn’t that it’s going to yield cardiovascular benefits, mental health benefits, increase life longevity, although it does all those things. But (it’s) that it feels good, and when we do it with other people, it feels great.” – Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, in a January interview with author Simon Sinek.
Upon leaving his post in early January, Murthy published his Parting Prescription for America, an inspiring and timely ‘love letter’ that I wanted to share with you. Service to others, he notes, can be something both formal (volunteering) and informal (offering a listening and compassionate ear). The important point is to take your own approach to creating and modeling community. That’s where joy can be found, as well as the love that can sustain and nurture our collective well-being. Companis delights in helping you do just that, and being a part of creating healthy community. We’d love to connect with you.
When it comes to community, how we approach our relationships, service, and purpose matters. Over half a century ago, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that we cannot build a healthy community if we are motivated by hatred toward others. To build community requires love. Love not as sentimentality, but as a commanding force with the power to build, strengthen, and heal. Love as generosity and kindness. Love as hope and grace.Love as courage.
– Dr. Vivek Murthy, Parting Prescription for America, January 7, 2025