June 2001 — In Praise of Volunteers
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Nearly 7.5 million Canadians give freely
and willingly of their time to enrich the lives of others.
They help organizations reach new heights by not only providing
basic human resources, but also by bringing fresh ideas and
much needed skills. In this international year of the volunteer,
they deserve our praise.
The act of volunteering is on the rise in Canada, according
to the most recent National Survey of Giving, Volunteering
and Participating. In 1977, 5.3 million Canadians donated
their time and energy to make an immeasurable contribution
to their communities. The increase in that number to 7.5 million
in 1997, almost one-third of the country's population, shows
that the passion to make a difference is growing.
More than a decade ago, an article published in an American
news magazine described how women were using volunteer work
as a foot in the door to the employment market. Today another
large group, those 15 to 24 years of age, has joined the volunteer
forces in record numbers. This group, whose number of volunteers
has almost doubled, believes that by participating and helping
others, they can acquire valuable interpersonal and job-related
skills that will open the door to increased job opportunities.
Money is a common measure of one's success. If that is so,
it makes a disturbing commentary on current social values.
For surely much of the work that is done for money is worthless
to anyone but those who profit by it. Voluntary service, on
the other hand, is so valuable to its beneficiaries as to
be literally priceless. Who could ever count what it is worth
to a handicapped child to be taught how to swim, or to an
elderly shut-in to have someone do the shopping and drop in
for a chat once or twice a week?
The attitude that only paid work matters is lamentably common.
You will look in vain in books on economics for so much as
a mention of the contribution which voluntary service makes
to the national well-being. Yet, one in every three adult
Canadians is engaged in some sort of volunteer activity. Seniors
top the list with an average of 202 hours per person volunteered.
In some cases, former employers co-ordinate and sponsor their
work. Organized volunteer work in Canada totals 11.1 billion
hours, a number equivalent to 578,000 full-time jobs - approximately
the same total as the labour force of Manitoba.
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"A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money."
John Ruskin |
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But the economic statistics are the least of it. Though
great numbers of Canadian volunteers are active in the fields
of sports, the arts, consumerism and civil rights, 31 per
cent of them work in the social welfare and 22 per cent in
health fields. Another 23 per cent donate their time to religious
groups, which are also partially involved in health, welfare
and education. In other words, these people are directly concerned
with helping others. And in helping others, they are helping
the whole society.
One of the mainstays of society, after all, is the common
understanding that the stronger must share their strength
with the weaker. There could be no social order if the community
interest did not come before purely selfish pursuits. The
religions which did so much to establish that social order
in the first place have always stressed that the individual
has an obligation to his fellow human beings. The concept
of mutual support is implicit in every major religious belief.
For instance, it is a maxim of Hinduism that "he does not
live in vain who employs his wealth, his thought, his speech
to advance the good of others." "The way to heaven is to benefit
others," the Taoist philosophy says. According to the Prophet
Mohammed, "A man's true wealth is hereafter the good he does
in this world to his fellow man."
In the Old Testament we find the example of Job: "I was
eyes to the blind, and feet I was to the lame. I was father
to the poor and the cause which I knew not I sought out."
In the New Testament is the Parable of the Good Samaritan:
"Go and do likewise," Jesus enjoined.
John Ruskin made an acute observation of scriptural teachings
when he wrote: "It is written, not 'blessed is he that feedeth
the poor,' but 'blessed is he that considereth the poor.'"
Meeting the need throughout the ages
"To feel much for others and little for ourselves; to restrain
our selfish, and exercise our benevolent affections, constitutes
the perfection of human nature," wrote Adam Smith. As the
father of classical economics, Smith was an upholder of laissez-faire,
the doctrine that the public good is best served when governments
intervene least in people's lives.
Laissez-faire dominated the social policies of western countries
in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Governments shied away
from dealing with social problems. It was left mainly to individuals,
churches and other charitable organizations to attend to the
public welfare. Though it was a full-time job for many of
them, the people who worked in charitable institutions were
essentially volunteers.
The last century brought the birth of universal tax-supported
programs in health, welfare and education. The political thrust
for more government involvement came from early socialists
who believed that undeserved privileges were perpetuated by
laissez-faire. They regarded the old system of charity as
not much more than self-serving paternalism, a scattering
of crumbs from rich men's tables. They insisted that the needs
of society could never be met by private benevolence alone.
It is true that the old system was spread too thinly and
was too selective. The churches understandably looked after
their own adherents first. Among non-sectarian charities,
some causes were more popular than others. The less-popular
ones did not receive the attention they deserved.
As time went on, the place of religion in society diminished.
Governments took over much of the work that was formerly performed
by religious communities.
Today, even right-wing political parties agree that governments
should provide some basic measure of social service and security
for people who really need it. At the same time, even left-wing
parties (in the western world, at least) agree that governments
cannot do all that has to be done. Public services lack the
human touch that people in distress need so badly. Volunteers
can either supplement the services provided, or take care
of special problems that government programs tend to overlook.
Volunteerism in a self-centred age
 In Great Britain, where a socialist government introduced
a comprehensive welfare state after World War II, the functions
of the public and voluntary sectors have long since been reconciled.
As an official British government publication put it, "State
and voluntary services are complementary and co-operative.
Both central and local authorities make grants to voluntary
social services. Public authorities plan and carry out their
duties taking account of the voluntary help available." Much
the same could be said of the situation in Canada today.
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"There are two kinds of gratitude - the sudden kind we feel for what we take, the larger kind we feel for what we give."
Edward Arlington Robinson |
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After years of governments taking on more and more of the
social responsibilities once borne by private citizens, the
pendulum has swung back to the voluntary sector. The deep
government debt of a decade ago caused significant cutbacks
in publicly funded services.
The question is whether goodness of heart and neighbourliness
can still grow in an era when the solidarity of groups - families,
neighbourhoods, communities, associations, etc. - is not at
its strongest. Will charity decline as a result of individualism?
The wisdom of the ages proclaims not. The ancient Roman
philosopher Seneca wrote: "He that does good to another, does
good also to himself, not only in the consequences, but in
the very act; for the consciousness of well-doing is, in itself,
ample reward." For a more recent authority, take Sir Wilfred
Grenfell, who spent a lifetime helping the people of Labrador:
"Real joy comes not from ease or riches or the praise of men,
but from doing something worthwhile."
The rewards of doing something for nothing
The 1997 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating
noted, "Almost everyone, 96 per cent, agreed that the reason
they volunteered was to help a cause in which they personally
believed. Over two-thirds of volunteers participated because
they have been personally, or know someone who has been personally
affected, by the cause the organization supported."
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"It is more blessed to give than to receive."
The Bible, John 20:35 |
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When volunteers are asked the reasons why they volunteer,
they usually cite the satisfaction they derive from helping
others. A typical reaction came from an ex-champion figure
skater who teaches skating to blind children. "Don't get me
wrong. I don't teach these classes as charity, I'm basically
a very selfish person. I teach them because I get tremendous
gratification," she said.
At least some volunteers would not do the work they do if
a price were put on it. Said a hospital auxiliary worker with
a hard and occasionally unpleasant job: "I would not do this
for any amount of money, I do it because I want to. I feel
I owe something to this community. This community has been
very good to me."
The idea of giving something back to the community of your
own free will seems to have undergone a revival among the
people who were least expected to be interested in voluntary
service - the members of the "me generation." Community affairs
offices in Canadian high schools have been mobilizing students
to help the disabled, entertain children, drive people to
and from hospitals, tutor slow learners, baby-sit for working
mothers and the like. Added to the continuing good work being
done by organizations like 4-H, the Boy Scouts and the Girl
Guides, this makes it look as if the grossly selfish "me generation"
was a swiftly passing phenomenon. Perhaps it never really
existed at all.
New ways to make a difference
While there will always be a need for people to do basic
chores like mailing out of fund-raising literature, pushing
carts around hospitals, and bringing meals to the disabled,
there is a growing trend towards more empowering forms of
help. This includes the sharing of knowledge and resources
to help the needy develop the self-esteem that greater self-reliance
and autonomy can bring.
Learning enrichment programs are an example of the activities
that have grown up as a result of government economy measures.
When provincial education departments found themselves with
relatively less money to spend, they went over the curriculum
and cut out non-essential "frills." In some localities parents
took it upon themselves to conduct after-hours classes in
aspects of art, music and physical education. It shows how
volunteers are needed more than ever and the difference they
can make.
The need for volunteers is bound to grow, not only because
of the limitations of government support, but also because
of our ageing population. During this international year of
the volunteer, we should honour the volunteers among us and
think about what else we could be doing ourselves. The watchword
of voluntarism is "do what you can." If you do all you can,
it can never be too little. The late Mother Teresa of Calcutta,
who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize of 1979 for her work
among the poor in India, put the idea of service into perspective
when she said: "We feel ourselves that what we are doing is
just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the
ocean, I think the oceans would be less because of that missing
drop."
Orignal version published in April 1982 by Royal Bank of
Canada.
Edited June 2001 to reflect recent data.
Published by RBC Financial Group. All editions from the
RBC Letter collection are available on our web site at www.rbc.com/responsibility/letter.
Our e-mail address is: rbcletter@rbc.com.
Publié aussi en francais.
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