Declines in participation rates in profesisonal associations

Posted January 8th, 2009 by
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I have a client who needs a quick literature review on the subject of the decline of volunteerism. There is a large general literature anchored by the book "Bowling Alone" (Putnam). I am not interested in the very general lit like Putnam's book, most of which deals with the defcline of civic participation in local affaris and voting and the like. Instead I am interested in a specific aspect of this general problem. I would like information on the rates of volunteer participation within professional associations in such things as committees, annual meetings, local chapter events. I am also interested in three further aspects of this general question. -- First, whether there is a difference in these rates of participation between large metropolitan areas and small towns. -- Second, there is good documentation of decline in the US and Canada in these kinds of voluntary activities. But I do not know if the change in professional society participation occurs participation is unique to North America or is also occuring in Europe and South America. -- Third, the decline is most severe in generalist associations. One reason is that professions have become more specialized, and that proccess has spawned spcialized associations. The result is the loss of membership and participation in the generalist associations. What I do not know is whether the specialized societies are also experiencing low participation in committees, etc.

Yes, it is much clearer now. Thank you. I will be working on finding some more information and have a post sometime tomorrow! umiat

This is an excellent start. The first materials on general decline in civic participation I have found previously. When you got to the materials on the professional (and other) formal organizations, that started to get at what I need. Good material. As to the international trends, let's drop that entirely. Regarding the small town/metro area, however, I am interested in that. You had a reference to the Florida CPA's. My problem is like that -- CPA's, but in Ohio. The Society of CPA's has done a lot of work on this and we know all their materials. In the case of Ohio, there are three large metro areas (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, all with ewell over 1m people) and five small cities of around 250,000 and many small towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. The participation problem differs, The causes of loss oif participation are detailed fairly well in the Florida statement, but they omit urban sprawl. One problem is that in large metro areas the local chapter used to have cohesion and a downtown focus for its Bar association, CPA Society, Medical Association. But now, with practices spread through suburbs, the focus is lost. Moreover, local travel is more difficult because to get to meetings you have to travel significant distances, often in heavy traffic. But neither of these factors affects the profesisonal society in the small towns - at least I don't think they do. So what I am looking for is clues to whether the local professional associations(and other -- e.g. unions, especially teachers and police) in metro areas, and those in small towns are facing the same kinds of decline in participation. Does that clarify? hmc53142-ga

Hello, hmc! Thanks for your patience. I hoped to have an additional answer posted yesterday, but I wanted to make sure my research was as thorough as possible. After many more hours of searching for very specific sources to answer your question concerning participation and volunteerism in smaller, local chapters of professional organizations versus larger, metropolitan chapters, I have found nothing definitive. I even asked my fellow researchers for help, and they were unsuccessful as well. However, I have an opinion, based on the following sources which touch on the issue of participation overall. It seems that overall participation in professional organizations is dropping, regardless of chapter size or locale. When I say participation, I mean the type of involvement that goes further than a name on a membership list and an annual check for dues. There are always those few members that carry the ball, but I get the impression that the "members" that are willing to take the time to actually attend meetings, or volunteer on an ongoing basis, are dwindling everywhere. Again, you are focusing on strictly professional associations, here. With those types of organizations, you have the added burden of daily work stress that is not necessarily relieved by attending a professional meeting that covers the types of topics one encounters in their work day. The meetings don't serve as a diversion or provide another avenue of interest to follow, so the benefits of attending meetings on a regular basis are not as fulfilling. Attendance might be out of a feeling of guilt and necessity, as opposed to real interest. If there are other means of staying in touch with the association's doings, like newsletters or websites, it is very easy to make the decision to "stay home" or do something enjoyable. In contrast, civic participation is based on real interest and desire to meet with those interested in promoting similar causes. There is a sense of excitement and fulfillment that is not quite the same as attending the meeting of a professional association which offers nothing very different from what you do all day in your professional life. Now, there are some professional associations where attendees often have a lot to gain - for instance, teachers unions. Salaries and educational issues are often hotbeds of discussion, and there is strength in numbers. An interesting discussion about the various depths of participation, personalities, and sociological factors that accompany volunteerism can be found in the article: "Participation in Voluntary Associations: Resources, Personality of Both?" by Rene Bekkers. ICS/Department of Sociology. Utrecht University (3/10/2000) http://www.fss.uu.nl/soc/homes/bekkers/participation.pdf According the researchers, the least demanding type of participation is the monetary donation. Second is the more demanding obligation of attending meetings. The greatest and most demanding involvement is actual volunteerism. On another interesting note, the paper mentions the pressure to participate in smaller communities: "Community size may also be important for civil membership, activity, volunteering and donation. In small groups, collective action is easier to achieve than in large groups.(Olson, 1965). In smaller communities, "word gets around" more quickly. Citizens face stronger sanctions for non-participation. **** "In the USA, volunteering is not related to community size according to some ( Wilson, 2000, p. 230) while others (Putnam, 2000) do report a negative relationship. **** === So, with all that said, I am basing my "opinion" on what little else I have managed to find, which reveals that volunteerism and participations is a common cry among many professional associations, no matter if the chapters are in large or small localities. The major factor seems to be lack of time, and general interest. === Some thoughts: Leaving the Association and participating individually may be more rewarding: **************************************************************************** "Ladd dispels two common myths spread by professor Robert Putnam of Harvard University. The first is that plummeting PTA membership - from 12 million in 1960 to 7 million today -is a prime example of civic disaffection. **** Ladd shows instead that it’s a sign of disaffection with the national PTA, which is closely linked to teachers unions. Parents haven’t stopped participating in their children’s schools. Rather, Ladd shows, they’ve joined independent parent-teacher groups that aren’t affiliated with the national PTA. **** Gallup polls for Phi Delta Kappa show attendance at PTA-like groups rising from 36 percent in 1983 to 49 percent in 1994. The same polls show other signs of increasing parental participation: a rise from 62 to 87 percent in the number of parents meeting with teachers or administrators about their own child, from 42 to 79 percent in attendance at a school play or concert, and from 16 to 27 percent in attendance at a school board meeting. Read "Bowling Together: Civil society in an age of 'moral miniaturization,' by Adam Meyerson. The Philanthropy Roundtable.(March/April 2002) http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/magazines/1999/july/meyerson.html ====== The changing nature of Associations and Organizations: ***************************************************** Though the information from the following article applies primarily to civic groups, it still has a great deal of application when it comes to professional organizations: Excerpts follow from "Associations Without Members," by Theda Skocpol. The American Prospect. http://www.prospect.org/print/V10/45/skocpol-t.html "Even a group aiming to speak for large numbers of Americans does not absolutely need members. And if mass adherents are recruited through the mail, why hold meetings? From a managerial point of view, interactions with groups of members may be downright inefficient. In the old-time membership federations, annual elections of leaders and a modicum of representative governance went hand in hand with membership dues and interactive meetings. But for the professional executives of today's advocacy organizations, direct mail members can be more appealing because, as Kenneth Godwin and Robert Cameron Mitchell explain, "they contribute without 'meddling'" and "do not take part in leadership selection or policy discussions." This does not mean the new advocacy groups are malevolent; they are just responding rationally to the environment in which they find themselves." "This brings us, finally, to what may be the most civically consequential change in late-twentieth-century America: the rise of a very large, highly educated upper middle class in which "expert" professionals are prominent along with businesspeople and managers. When U.S. professionals were a tiny, geographically dispersed stratum, they understood themselves as "trustees of community," in the terminology of Stephen Brint. **** "Working closely with and for nonprofessional fellow citizens in thousands of towns and cities, lawyers, doctors, ministers, and teachers once found it quite natural to join, and eventually help to lead, locally rooted, cross-class voluntary associations. But today's professionals are more likely to see themselves as expert individuals who can best contribute to national well-being by working with other specialists to tackle complex technical or social problems." **** "Cause-oriented advocacy groups offer busy, privileged Americans a rich menu of opportunities to, in effect, hire other professionals and managers to represent their values and interests in public life. Why should highly trained and economically well-off elites spend years working their way up the leadership ladders of traditional membership federations when they can take leading staff roles at the top, or express their preferences by writing a check?" The Cry for Help! Some Examples: ******************************* "Looking for Leaders - Local 59 and the profession need you!" Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, Local 59. http://www.mft59.org/leaders.html The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers is engaged in a wide variety of short and long term committees. They offer you an opportunity to participate in professionally oriented activities, which provide you with growth opportunities while enhancing the professional status of teaching. **** The Federation hopes members will consider involving themselves in these activities. **** Attached is a list of the various Federation committees and joint labor/ management committees along with a description and approximate time commitment. If you have previously been active in the Federation, are a new member, now have the time to get involved, or would like to renew your commitment, please indicate your preference by checking the issues or activities that interest you most. (Twenty-two positions need to be filled!) === From "A Call for Volunteerism," by Bernard J. DiMuro. (10/2002) http://www.vsb.org/publications/valawyer/oct02/pres_page.pdf. "...the work of the Virginia State Bar is dependent on the many volunteers who, each day of the year, supply the herculean efforts needed to fulfill our three core missions: professional regulation; public access to legal services; and improving the legal system in Virginia. Clearly, members of the bar continue to embrace the notion of "being serviceable to many." **** Yet, there does seem to be a decline in interest and participation on such committees and conferences. I suspect that there are many reasons for this decline -most of them sparked by modern day commercial realities. Lawyers are facing increased competition from each other and from non-lawyers to provide services that were once considered the practice of law. The cost of legal services is increasing. There is a more transient population and a faster pace of life. There is a misconception that there is too little time for volunteer activities if a lawyer is going to succeed." **** ==== From "Volunteer Series: Part 3 - Courting and Coaching Tomorrow's Leaders." Realtor.org http://www.realtorae.com/eomag.nsf/pages/tomorrows_leaders "A decline in volunteerism, coupled with a dearth of strong leaders, has prompted many REALTOR associations to reevaluate how they attract, train, and retain leaders." ==== General Reasons for Membership Decline ************************************* I think the following article sums up the major reason for non-participation, no matter whether the association meeting is local or more metropolitan! From "What happened to everybody?" by Amber Veverka. Charlotte Observer (10/21/2002) http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/columnists/amber_veverka/4331576.htm "A year or so ago, Audrey Mershon was juggling the responsibilities of marriage, a toddler, a newborn, a job, church activities and membership in an industry organization. She was stretched thin and something had to go. Mershon dropped out of the trade group. "I miss the networking," said Mershon, a waste reduction specialist for Mecklenburg County. But, she added, "advanced education is on the back burner and forget professional networking ... unless it's at Wal-Mart on my weekly trips for diapers and formula." **** Mershon is part of a growing trend. Membership rates in professional organizations appear to be declining nationally, and many Charlotte groups also are losing market share. **** Organizations are struggling to find new ways to attract and keep members -- or just get the ones they already have to show up at meetings. Mick Redohl, president of the AAIM Management Association in St. Louis, Mo., has seen membership and attendance at conventions fall over the last 18 months. And when he looks for reasons, Redohl comes up with one answer: lack of time. "People seem to be a lot busier and many corporations have cut ... staff dramatically," Redohl said. "A lot of people just don't feel like they have the time to do it." That's true for Wanda Sanders. She has a new baby and a busy job at Duke Energy. For now she's taking a pass on groups she used to be part of, including the Minority Professional Association and a leadership development group her company helps spearhead. "They're a good way to network and meet other professional people," she said. But with a husband, a 15-year-old daughter, and a baby, evening meetings were too much. "I just said, `I can't do this.' " Cynthia Murray, president of the Charlotte charter chapter of the American Business Women's Association, thinks membership is down in groups like hers because business information is so widely available. "You can go on the Internet and take a course and you don't have to leave your house," she said. Murray's group has 40 members, the same or slightly fewer than it did three years.A typical meeting at SouthPark Suites Hotel draws 25 to 30. "I hear, `I'm involved in my church and we have Bible study on Wednesday.' `I just had a baby.' `I don't want to drive across town to south Charlotte,' " Murray said. "I don't get hung up on the fact that people are not joining. Here's my take: Those people that want to be part of this organization will be because they feel they're getting something." Theresa Salmen, president of TH Mgmt. Inc., a Charlotte firm that manages nine area professional associations, said tailoring activities to members' schedules is key. To better compete for people's time, Salmen's group has reshuffled programs at some of the associations it runs. "Your younger generation, we're finding a lot of them like to do their association activities during the day or in a compact manner, versus, `Let's go out for dinner; let's have drinks,' " she said. And groups have learned they must be able to answer the "what's-in-it-for-me?" question would-be members increasingly ask before they get involved. "I have board members who say, `They need to do it for the good of the industry!' " Salmen said. "I'm like, that's fine, but it doesn't bring their checkbook out." Indeed, busy schedules aren't the only reason people give for backing out of industry and business groups. The down economy means individuals and companies are cutting costs, and membership dues are often one of the first expenses to go. The Charlotte Chamber expects to have 4,300 to 4,400 members by year's end, down substantially. Still, even if a professional group's membership is growing, that doesn't always mean everyone is participating. The Charlotte Dental Society's membership is about the same as last year's, and is up from two or three years ago, said Lloyd Johnston, who heads the group. But out of 280 members, the group's meetings usually draw 120 to 150, he said. He'd like to see more dentists participate in programs such as the one that provides free dental care to area low-income children. He's heard the reasons some don't participate -- they're in other groups; they're caring for kids; they're helping elderly parents Charlotte psychologist Meg Houlihan .....has seen many colleagues pull out of trade groups. "It's pretty typical that people start casting away things when they get busy," she said. "A lot of people are in survival mode." ==== From "Ka Pa `ahana:(The Value of Industry/Diligence) Association Update." http://216.239.57.100/search?q=cache:GLNAbYPMBZwC:www.armapacific.org/PacificRegionLeadershipConference/State%2520of%2520ARMA2.ppt+declining+participation+in+professional+associations&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 "Associations on the whole have experienced declining participation at the chapter level." Membership dues as a percentage of total revenues continue to decline. Demand for knowledge and professional development programs is increasing. Memberships becoming more specialized and segmented; Self-forming groups are increasing. Viability of chapters is a major question for many associations. Frequent career changes affecting renewal rates and marketing effectiveness for professional associations. Shift occurring away from long-term, time-intensive volunteer commitments toward short-term, tightly focused volunteer opportunities. ==== Some pertinent weaknesses that are highlighted in a discussion of the Canadian Library Association: From "Strategic Planning." Canadian Association of Special Libraries and Information Services. (7/22/2002) http://www.cla.ca/caslis/swot.htm Membership is decreasing Membership is aging Small volunteer base where burnout and apathy common and there is no ongoing renewal Overlap and (sometimes) conflict between National and Chapter levels: no clearly defined roles & functions Lack of involvement by most of the membership ==== From "Per Bulletin." May 2000 v.22, no.4. Petroleum and Energy Resources Division. http://www.sla.org/division/dper/Bulletins/b22-4.html "Only a small percentage of the Division's membership is actively involved in the Division activities. The survey is a good example of declining involvement. Only 27% of the surveys were returned. Every member was giving the opportunity to provide valuable input into the future of the Division, but just over 1/4th of the membership responded. Only 16% of the membership attended last year's annual conference. I understand the financial and work restraints that have been affecting our industry; however, the average attendance for other divisions last year was 27%. The PER Division had the 3rd lowest percentage of attendance. How does the Division increase the participation level? Is it possible to increase the level of participation? The Board will look at these issues." "Finally, membership in the Division has been declining over the past few years. 75% of the survey respondents believed the cause to be downsizing, lay-offs and constricted budgets. Is it time to begin to look for the demise of the PER Division? Is the lack of interest in the Division coupled with the declining membership an indication that the Division has outlived its usefulness? In my opinion, "No!" It means that it is time to infuse some life into it." === From "Who Are Today's Geographers?" by Reginald Golledge. Directions Magazine (10/2000) http://www.directionsmag.com/columns.php?column_id=34 "Similar to trends in other associations (e.g., political science, sociology, anthropology, geology) that appear to be facing membership decline, young geographers do not always see the advantages of joining a Professional Association. "The fees!" they cry. "What do we get for them?" === From "The Power & Promise of Affiliates: 2001 Affiliate Breakfast Speech." Leila Christenbury, 2001 NCTE President-Elect.(Nat'l Council of Teachers of English) http://www.ncte.org/affiliates/affiliatebreakfastspeech.shtml "We have, of course, a huge challenge these days: at this point as both editor of English Journal and as a member of the presidential team of NCTE, I have traveled to dozens of affiliates and participated in half a dozen affiliate leadership conferences (my first trip was in 1994 to New Mexico, and just last month I was in western Pennsylvania). In my work with affiliates I find that almost everyone today discusses the same two issues: a generally declining membership in numbers and a real difficulty in getting newer members to assume leadership roles. These challenges appear to be a nationwide phenomenon, as I have had to reassure numerous folks. The fact of the matter is that we are in very different times than when I and some of you joined our affiliates. All professional organizations--and this includes the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association as well as traditional civic groups such as Rotary, Kiwanis and even religiously affiliated organizations such as Hadassah and Knights of Columbus-are in membership decline. We are in an age where people do not automatically turn to large organizations; we are in an era when it is not assumed that joining a professional organization is important, necessary, or even helpful." "Like many organizations, we have experienced a very steady decline in membership Our challenge is to continue to keep current members and to attract new ones, for without that kind of strength in numbers, we will not be effective in advocating for students and our classrooms, in articulating to the public what we stand for and what our vision is." ==== An overall statement: From: "Civic Participation," by Congressman Lee Hamilton. Center on Congress (1998) http://congress.indiana.edu/outreach/frames/frame18.htm "But I am concerned about declining involvement of citizens in the community. In recent decades, many traditional community organizations have suffered declines in membership and participation. For example, the number of volunteers for the Boy Scouts and the Red Cross has dropped substantially since 1970; labor union participation has dropped by half since the mid-1950s; the League of Women Voters, Jaycees, and Lions have all seen double-digit drops in membership levels in the last 20 or 30 years. Anyone who has worked in an enterprise that depends on volunteers knows how difficult it is to recruit and keep them." "Americans, I believe, retain their desire to help their families and communities, but they must do it within the realities of two-career families, hectic lifestyles, and rapid changes in the economy and in their careers." =========================================================================== Additional Reading: "FCBA Membership Survey: Executive Summary." http://www.fcba.org/Executive_Summary.html I hope this additional information sheds some light on the overall general decline in professional association participation and membership. From the research, it appears that the decine is pervasive throughout all levels, not just t

Hello, hmc53142-ga! Your question proved trickier than I thought it would. While I found plenty of information on volunteerism and professional/semi-professional associations, it was next to impossible to find trends in South America. It was also very difficult to find information pertaining to local, small-town chapters of professional associations versus large professional associations. I am not sure if I have interpreted that aspect of your question accurately. If you want differences between volunteerism in small towns versus large municipalities in general, that is a much easier. Otherwise, it might be helpful to target a few professional associations that interest you, to see if I can figure out some comparisons between volunteer participation between local and national chapters. The same would be true for comparisons of South American chapters of US professional organizations. Even then, I don't know how much information might be available. The following is what I have uncovered: General Overview: A critique of Putnam's Book *************************** From "Putnam, Fukuyama, De Tocqueville, and Volunteerism in the International Community," by Paul Rich and Guillermo De Los Reyes. Draft of a paper for the International Studies Association. (2/1999) http://mailweb.udlap.mx/~rich/papers/isa99/morris.html Excerpts: "While Professor Putnam has made a valuable contribution by sparking debate over whether volunteerism has ebbed, just the spirited social exchanges of the Internet and the enormous non-paid activity in constructing World Wide Web archives shows the other side of the coin to which we refer.11 All manner of discussion, lobby, and support groups have sprung up via the Net.12 Putnam relies on surveys which show a decline in conventional membership in organizations that may have declined because of changes in interest and constituency rather than a lack of public spirit.13 The Grange, for example, could not sustain growth as the farming population decreased. The United Commercial Travelers still maintains a lodge system for lonely salesmen, but air transportation makes it possible to be home for the weekend, and the organization has suffered from that." "Research by Brent Morris shows that some of the organizations that Putnam cites as evidence of the recent decline in volunteerism actually began their decline long ago. The Odd Fellows, for example, began declining in 1920, and the decline from 1920 to 1935 exceeded all its growth from 1990 to 1920. In 1920 the Odd Fellows had 1, 736,00 members. In 1940 they had 666,000 members. D. Morris shows similar, if now obscure organizations such as the Patriarchs Militant, Rebekah, and Knights of Pythias also peaked around 1920 and then began to decline."14 "The work Dr. Morris has done is a good example of how useful it will be if the research done into rather private, if not totally secretive, societies like the Masons is incorporated into discussions about intermediate organizations and volunteerism. (We recognize the Masonry sometimes resents being called a secret society, claiming that it is very visible by virtue of its buildings and charities.) Clearly Putnam cannot go back to 1920 in trying to show a decline in the voluntary spirit. His thesis needs a more recent date. He cannot, for example, use the lack of member participation in the National Geographical Society because that would put him back in the 1890s." "Putnam s claims about those voluntary groups that have grown substantially in recent years such as the Sierra Club and American Association of Retired Persons, -- that they mean little more to their members than do magazine subscriptions, are somewhat contradicted by the activities of those groups he singles out. The AARP for example has more than 4000 local chapters, many of them being involved in blood drives, hospital visitation and other civic activities." "So the situation is not easily interpreted. Less Americans are joining the Odd Fellows, but more every day are involved in college alumni groups -- if only because more are going to college. Putnam could argue that new movements are more like the National Geographic Society (itself a nineteenth-century foundation) and that the memberships of many organizations are uninvolved, but the level of involvement of members in organizations in the past surely varied as well. Accusing him of "intellectual and journalistic superficiality", Robert J. Samuelson found that even bowling was simply showing a more relaxed style rather than demonstrating a dearth of community. Anyway, argued Samuelson, softball leagues now had more than 40 million participants, in contrast with only 27 million in 1972. Conceding that unions had slumped, he pointed out that there had been an increase participation in literary and art groups and professional groups, suggesting perhaps a change in the population rather than a decline in spirit.. American associational life today he insists is less along racial, sexual and ethnic lines and thus has improved in quality." "Another critic of Putnam, Diana Eck, discusses how the American penchant for volunteerism has influenced traditional religious groups that are relatively new to the country. "There are Hindu groups that adopt a highway and an organization called Sikhs Serving America that tries to help street people. There has been a proliferation of "voluntary associations based on democratic, and not necessarily Christian, principles" which counteracts the notion that people are bowling alone.19 "When it comes to bowling, the Bowl for Kids Sake organization aiding the Big Brother and Big Sister mentoring programs has produced so far more than $125 million, and from ground zero in 1981 now involves more than two million bowlers a year. (Of course the argument could be made that BKS members don t share pizzas and beers are readily as members of company teams, but the proof of that would seem a challenge.) The Big Brother and Big Sister organizations have been joined in a new mentoring movement by other new groups such as Concerned Black Men, One Hundred Black Men, Foster Grandparents, and Friends of the Children." "A case then can be made that for every sewing circle and fraternal lodge that has declined, another sort of volunteerism springs up. An optimist, Professor Ann Boyles, writes, "It is perhaps the most significant social phenomenon of our time: the sudden efflorescence of countless movements and organizations of social change at local, regional, and international levels." She adds, "This blossoming of civil society, as represented by non-governmental organizations, community-based groups, academic institutions, and others, is significantly reshaping the international agenda."20 (There is an extensive bibliography at the end of this paper that may prove useful!) An article of some interest: "Secret Ritualistic Organizations and Volunteerism in Mexico, "by Guillermo De Los Reys. Presented at the 2000 Meeting of the Latin American Studies Association. http://mailweb.udlap.mx/~rich/papers/LASA2K/reyes.pdf Excerpts: "In Mexico today, which is undergoing democratization, there has been a recent rapid growth in the number of non'governmental organizations. "From 1989 on the number of non governmental organization (NGOs) skyrocketed. As a sociocultural response to the state's withdrawal from welfare responsibilities since 1982, professional groups, intellectuals and progressive church-inspired associations decided to organize working groups oriented to the development of public services, technical consultancy, health programmes, popular urban development, popular education, youth attention, environmental protection and so on and so forth. Past state monopolization of all these kind of societal initiatives waned, and given the availability of internation funding, several NGOs flourished all over the country,"25 (Extensive bibliography follows article) ============================================================================ Rates of Volunteer Participation ********************************* Canadian Statistics: ==================== As excerpted from "A sharp decline in the volunteer pool accurately mirrors the decline of faith," by Ted and Virginia Byfield. Report: Canada's Independent News Magazine. (9/10/2001) http://report.ca/archive/report/20010910/p44i010910f.html "Now, however, we can clinically chart our downfall, actually measure the moral temperature, take the social pulse. Last week, for instance, there came a disturbing story, disturbing enough for the Globe and Mail to make it their front-page headline: "Alert Raised as 1 Million Fewer Now Volunteer." "Canada has one million fewer volunteers today than it had in 1997," read the story. The National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating had found that Canada's pool of volunteers shrank from 7.5 million in 1997 to 6.5 million in 2000. Where volunteer labour totalled the equivalent of 578,000 full-time workers in 1997, it was 549,000 in 2000. Canadian charities had lost nearly 30,000 workers. This would have spelled disaster for a number of charities, said the report, were it not for the fact that the people who do volunteer made up the differences by contributing far more of their time. Now 7% of volunteers contribute 73% of all volunteer labour. ==== As excerpted from "The State of Volunteering in Canada: National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating - 2000." http://www.vsi-isbc.ca/eng/joint_tables/nvi/cvi_report/doc8.cfm "The results of the NSGVP contain both good news and bad news. The good news is that 6.5 million Canadians are engaged in volunteering and these volunteers come from all age groups, all backgrounds, and all communities. The bad news is that, between 1997 and 2000, one million fewer Canadians contributed to a formal volunteer activity - a 13 percent decline. This is an alarming trend." "The volunteering rate declined independent of age, sex, marital status, education, labour force status and income. Despite the adoption of mandatory community service in some high school education systems, the volunteering rate among those aged 15-24 declined from 33 percent in 1997 to 29 percent in 2000." "Further, in spite of a 2.5 percent increase in the Canadian population and a 9 percent increase in the average number of hours per volunteer between 1997 and 2000, the decline in the overall volunteering rate resulted in an absolute decline in the total number of volunteer hours - from 1.11 billion hours in 1997 to 1.05 billion hours in 2000. To put this in perspective, this decline of 56 million volunteer hours is equivalent to the loss of 29,000 full-time jobs. While these numbers speak for themselves, they do not explain why this decline has occurred." "In 2000, 73 percent of Canadians did not volunteer at all, at least in the formal system. The survey findings also show that only seven percent of Canadians contribute almost three-quarters of all volunteer effort. This central core of 'super' volunteers is highly homogenous: they are older, university educated, higher income, parents, and actively religious. While these people represent a remarkable cohort of Canadians, dependence on such a small number is neither wise, nor sustainable, in the longer term. Effort is needed to deepen and extend the pool of volunteers." "The single most important factor people give for volunteering is a belief in the cause supported by the organizations. This is followed by: putting skills to use; being personally affected by the cause; and exploring one's own strengths. These factors remained stable over the three-year period, suggesting that other factors contributed to the marked decline in volunteering." "The reasons given for not volunteering have remained relatively constant: lack of time and unwillingness to make a year-round commitment. The survey also indicates that many non-volunteers in Canada have never been asked to volunteer. Many people indicate that they don't know how to get involved in their community. A clear need exists to promote and celebrate volunteerism to help Canadians from all backgrounds become more aware of volunteering opportunities, and to help organizations reach out to potential volunteers." ===== United States Statistics: ======================== Excerpted from "Census Bureau: Volunteerism Down," by Steve Jordahl. Family News in Focus. (2/13/2003) http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0024681.html "Government statistics indicate an 11 percent decline in volunteerism over the last two years. Although she questions the results of the study, Pat Read, of the group Independent Sector, said there is cause for concern." ==== Excerpted from "Giving and Volunteering in the United States 2001." Independent Sector. http://www.independentsector.org/programs/research/gv01main.html "INDEPENDENT SECTOR's Giving and Volunteering in the United States Signature Series provides a comprehensive picture of the giving and volunteering habits of Americans. Based on a national survey of more than 4,000 adults, this series of reports explores the why, how, and who behind the extraordinary everyday generosity, both in time and money, of American households. The Signature Series is sponsored by the MetLife Foundation. Key Findings: Giving (households) 89 percent of households give. The average annual contribution for contributors is $1,620. Volunteering (individuals) 44 percent of adults volunteer. 83.9 million American adults volunteer, representing the equivalent of over 9 million full-time employees at a value of $239 billion. (You may order the full report at http://www.independentsector.org/pubs_cart.htm) ==== Volunteering is up in some sectors: According to the article, "Volunteerism on the Rise: President Bush Renews Call to Service," by Patrick Ferraro, Philanthropic Research, Inc.(August 2002) at http://www.guidestar.org/news/features/volunteerism.stm : "Numbers recently issued by the USA Freedom Corps indicate a renewed interest in volunteerism in America. On-line applications to AmeriCorps have increased 90 percent, and visits to the SeniorCorps Web site have jumped 57 percent. More than 66,000 potential volunteers have requested Peace Corps applications - a 40 percent increase - and more than 45,000 individuals have signed up on-line to participate in the Citizen Corps. VolunteerMatch, the on-line volunteer database ..... has experienced a marked upswing in activity this year. In the last quarter alone, matches between volunteers and organizations increased 72 percent compared to the same period in 2001." ===== Corporate Volunteerism - United States: From "Prudential Financial Leads the Charge in Corporate Sponsored Volunteerism." Prudential Financial.(9/30/2002) http://www.prudential.com/productsAndServices/0,1474,intPageID%253D3849%2526blnPrinterFriendly%253D0,00.html (Prudential poll finds American workers' perception of corporate-sponsored volunteerism on national decline.) "Despite a heightened focus on corporate responsibility, a new study released today found that American workers now believe their companies are pulling back just when they should be giving back." "According to a recent national poll conducted by Prudential Financial, more than 80% of employees express a willingness to participate in company volunteer programs. Yet only 54% believe that their employer encourages volunteerism, a 12% decline since 1998. And, only two out of five companies that do provide volunteer programs encourage family involvement." "Many companies offer volunteerism opportunities. But our research shows there is still a gap in mobilizing even more employees," says Arthur F. Ryan, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. "We have long believed it's important for employees to take an active part in improving the places they live and work through volunteerism. That's why we sponsor events like Global Volunteer Day. We hope events like this will inspire other companies to develop similar volunteer programs." Other findings in the survey of American workers include: 83% of part-time employees say they would participate in a corporate-sponsored program. Two out of five companies encourage family involvement in volunteer programs. Trend Research: In August 2002, Prudential Financial surveyed nearly 650 U.S. residents on their employers' volunteer involvement. Researchers compared the results to a similar study they conducted in 1998. Here's what they found: 54 percent of respondents say their employer encourages volunteerism, compared to 62% in 1998. The biggest decline was in part-time employees. Less than half of employees report their employer sponsors volunteer programs. There was a 12% drop over the last four years in the number of employees who say their employer sponsors volunteer programs. 80 percent of respondents say they'd participate in a corporate-sponsored program. 83 percent of part-time employees said they would participate in a corporate-sponsored program. Two out of five companies encourage family involvement in volunteer programs. 51 percent of employees in the 35-44 age group say their employer encourages family participation. ====== Volunteer Distribution: An excellent chart, called "Distribution of Volunteers and Assignments, 1998, can be seen in the article: "USEFUL FACTS ON VOLUNTEERISM IN THE UNITED STATES." Bohse and Associates http://bohse.com/html/facts_on_volunteerism.html I have copied the chart information here, though the rest of the article is also very insightful. 14.6% Informal Activity 13.7% Religious Activity 10.5% Youth Activity 10.4% Educational Activity 9.5% Human Services 6.8% Health 6.2% Work-related 5.5% Environment 5.2% Arts 5.2% Recreation 4.7% Public/Societal Benefit 2.8% Political 2.0% Private/Community Foundations 1.5% International 1.3% Other Some other facts from the article: 42% of households with an average income under $20,000 reported volunteering during the year while 68% of households with an average income between $40,000 and $49,999 did so. College graduates were between 50 and 60% more likely to volunteer than those respondents with only a high school diploma. ===== Participation in Specialized Associations - Declining or Increasing? ******************************************************************* Some specific examples: ======================= The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons: Despite Putnam's discouraging data about the overall decline in volunteerism and association participation, the AMOS continues to see active participation in their professional association. "..the AMOS has been fortunate to have Fellows interested in volunteering for a number of projects and committees over the past 70 years. This is a trend we wish to see continue and grow." However, there has been a noticeable decline in voting for committee members. "In Putnam’s book, he notes that there has been a continual decline in the percentage of the U.S. population that votes in each election cycle over the past 40 years. This fact hits home to those of us involved in the Academy, as we have also seen a declining participation in our voting recently. In 1993, 40% of eligible AAOS Fellows voted for the Nominating Committee, but in 2002, this number dropped to 28% of eligible AAOS Fellows." From "The AAOS needs and wants your participation," by Vernon Tolo, MD. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Bulletin. (8/2002) http://www.aaos.org/wordhtml/bulletin/aug02/acdnws1.htm === Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants: "Recent history has shown a decrease in attendance at chapter meetings and a decrease in interest in serving on the FICPA’s committees. There are numerous theories to explain this uncontestable fact of diminishing interest. Several of the hypotheses advanced to explain decreasing participation include: Increased Specialization by CPAs: This development may explain why chapters have difficulty providing services and CPE to the broadest definition of CPA; there are simply fewer and fewer general or sole practitioners. While committee requests are down, attendance at specialized conferences continues to grow, suggesting that the need to participate has declined while the need for information has not. Demographic Trends. The FICPA faces similar trends as other organizations. Its members come from two worker families, have less available time, have other professional development alternatives, have more entertainment and leisure options, etc. Increased Competition: There has been a proliferation of organizations that provide CPE and information. CPAs can get their support through a variety of sources, including other associations, CPA firm networks, the Internet, etc. Volunteerism is Declining: Recent studies have shown that volunteerism itself has declined in the United States in the past twenty years. To resist such a decline, a volunteer organization must increase the value of the services it provides. Technology: As is the case with many professional associations, information and access to trade information have been the hallmark of their existence. Increased computerization and the Internet have turned that information into a commodity. Technology has made the consumption of information without a person-to-person meeting both common and efficient. From "FICPA Restructure Task Force: Draft Recommendations, Committees and Chapters." http://www1.ficpa.org/restructure/chapters.html === The Computer Society: "The society has a strong cadre of volunteers working together to serve the profession. In recent years, however, the society has experienced a dwindling volunteer base. External factors, such as increasing competitive pressures on companies in an increasingly global economy, pressure on employees at work to do more with less, and the time pressures that come from trying to balance work and personal life, all contribute to the problem. Volunteers find they have less time to devote to activities that do not directly address their company’s bottom line. Moreover, many employers who previously supported volunteer activities are now discouraging such activities, or at least are not providing financial resources to support such activities. Most volunteer-driven professional organizations are experiencing a similar situation." "While recognizing the importance of volunteer participation to the society and at the same time recognizing that volunteers are experiencing increasing pressures to reduce volunteer activities, the society has earmarked increasing volunteer participation as one the most critical issues. The society must identify and recruit new volunteers and also find ways to better leverage the scarce volunteer resources it has available today. Also at issue is how to facilitate the transition of a volunteer from one volunteer activity to another. As an example, the society should put into place mechanisms that will help interested editorial board members or technical committee members find out about other volunteer opportunities within the society. The society has a large pool of volunteers serving on editorial boards, technical committees, standards committees, and conference committees, but must create a system that taps this reservoir of volunteers more effectively in the future." Summary: "The future vitality of the society lies with its volunteers, its most critical resource. The society recognizes that the expansion of its volunteer base is one of the key issues that it faces today. It also recognizes that the increasing demands on volunteers at work result in pressures to decrease their volunteer time. To effectively recruit new volunteers, the society should have a systematic method to identify potential volunteers and should establish volunteer recruitment as an important part of the culture. Emphasis on keeping volunteers involved through mentoring and making volunteer task more doable should also become part of the culture. The society must also consider the alternative that it may not get more volunteers nor more volunteer time. Consequently, it must become more efficient in its operation and use technology to optimize the output resulting from volunteer commitment and time. Finally, the society should expand its current activities to ensure that volunteers are recognized for their contributions to the society." Read "Engaging Members as Volunteers." Computer Society. http://www.computer.org/csinfo/plan/sp980001.htm ==== The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.: (Statistics for growth and membership, including South America:) "IEEE membership for month-end May 2002 totaled 339,209. This represents an increase of 6,069 members (+1.8%) over May 2001. At first glance this would appear to be somewhat good news; that is, that despite the continuing uncertain economic outlook, and a fairly significant 2002 dues increase, membership still continues to exhibit positive growth in 2002 (albeit at a slightly subdued pace). "However, if you look underneath the top level numbers, you will find that higher grade memberships are down for the year. Further, this decline in higher grade memberships has worsened from -0.2% in April, to -0.5% in May. It is only due, therefore, to the 13% growth rate in Student memberships that overall membership is showing gains for the year." "On a better note, as previously indicated, Student membership this month is up 7,521 (+13%) over the previous May. Of particular interest is the fact that for the first time in a long time all of our US Regions are posting double-digit Student membership growth. In fact, except for the 28.4% growth occurring in Region 10, US Student growth this year is outpacing the rest of the world." "The CAS student promotion was primarily designed to help increase CAS Student Branch Chapters. To date this program has helped to create four new CAS Student Branch Chapters - two in Columbia, and one each in Argentina and Romania." "IEEE is a volunteer membership organization. Although it maintains a paid staff, it relies heavily on its volunteers in Sections, Student Branches and Chapters to carry out the necessary work of recruiting and retaining members by promoting activities, services and products that benefit members. Volunteers are essential to the continued well-being and growth of IEEE as a membership organization." Read "Membership Development Progress Report May 2002." IEEE http://www.ieee.org/organizations/rab/md/progrep/may02prog.html (also see charts accompanying article) === Disabled American Veterans: "DAV faces a risk of declining membership and decreasing individual member participation. A number of factors contribute to this situation: fewer veterans are eligible for DAV membership; aging members are less able to participate in meetings and programs serving veterans; and younger potential members are less attracted to fraternal organizations than previous generations." Read "Goals, Issues and Strategies." Disabled American Veterans. http://www.dav.org/strategic/goals_print.html ==== American Society for Public Administration: "In this environment, ASPA’s membership fell from 15,600 in 1989 to 9,800 in 1998. During the same period, the biennial membership surveys have shown that ASPA members feel strongly that ASPA needs to change. They think the Society has lost its focus. They believe in the basic purposes of the organization - improve government management and ethics, be an advocate for public service, and provide opportunities for interaction between academics and practitioners - but do not think ASPA is doing enough to advance these causes. They also want more flexible membership and service options." Read "Looking Back." ASPA http://216.239.37.100/search?q=cache:1_9QteBgt1gC:www.aspanet.org/about/stplan.doc+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 ==== Some very interesting information about participation in various organizations can be found in: "A NATION OF SPECTATORS: HOW CIVIC DISENGAGEMENT WEAKENS AMERICA AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT." Final Report of the National Commission on Civic Renewal. (1998) http://www.puaf.umd.edu/Affiliates/CivicRenewal/finalreport/table_of_contentsfinal_report.htm An excerpt from the section titled: "CIVIL SOCIETY: EVIDENCE--Associations and Democracy," at http://www.puaf.umd.edu/Affiliates/CivicRenewal/finalreport/associations_and_democracy.htm follows: Unions: "Members of union households are 8 percent more likely than other people to vote. Though union membership is a relatively weak predictor of overall associational membership,34 unionized workers do join more voluntary organizations and make more charitable contributions than other people do.35 The dramatic decline in union membership over the past 40 years has been exacerbated by factors -- automation, international competition, the relocation of factories to non-union states, and changes in federal labor law enforcement -- that do not directly affect other associations. The United States now ranks near the bottom of industrialized democracies in union membership." Fraternal organizations and women's auxiliaries: ".. have suffered deep losses in membership since 1974. These groups traditionally had deep roots in their communities, and they offered men and women of different classes an opportunity to talk and cooperate more or less as equals -- something that professional associations, which have grown in recent decades, do not do. Today, it is not clear what (if anything) will replace the cross-class local organizations that flourished through most of American history.36 Mailing-list associations: "...from the National Rifle Association to the Children's Defense Fund, have grown since 1970. Members of these groups contribute dues to support professional staff, but they do not donate much time or effort. It seems plausible that writing a check has a smaller effect on the development of civic skills, knowledge, and interpersonal trust than does attending a meeting or organizing a grassroots movement. But mailing-list organizations should not be stereotyped. The Sierra Club, for example, has been described as a group whose members merely write checks and read newsletters. But in one May weekend, the Los Angeles chapter alone organized 39 events, from classes to camping excursions, that were cooperative and participatory.38 Still, a large shift from grassroots groups to national membership organizations provides grounds for concern. The evidence suggests that while levels of group membership have remained fairly constant during the last quarter century, active involvement and leadership have become less common, in part because the kinds of organizations that now predominate offer relatively few opportunities for participation and deliberation. Similarly, there has been a shift from groups that are organized in communities to those that unite people around a profession or interest. Both trends could be expected to lower social capital, even given fairly constant overall membership levels. Indeed, the past 25 years have seen a marked decline in the share of people who belong to committees and serve as officers of local groups, a trend that parallels declines in such forms of local political activity as attending school board meetings and participating in political parties. ==== Excerpts from "SOCIAL CAPITAL: Though some scholars might worry, it's still abundant on soccer fields and in 12-step meeting rooms," by Ed Wojcicki. Illinois Issues (2/2001) http://civic.uis.edu/publish/Essay%20by%20Ed%20Wojcicki.pdf. "Robert Samuelson of the Washington Post examined Putnam's data and found increases, not decreases, in participation among several types of organizations, such as literary and arts groups, professional associations and sports clubs. "Americans mingle across racial, sexual, and ethnic lines more now than ever," he wrote in 1996." ==== Sweden: Declines in Union membership: ===================================== "According to figures published in spring 2001, the total membership of Swedish trade unions continued to decline in 2000, with overall union density down to 79% from 84% in 1994. Losses were recorded among the affiliates of the blue-collar LO confederation, while the white-collar TCO and especially the graduate SACO experienced small increases. Recently published research indicates that unions are failing to attract younger workers." "Spring 2001 saw the publication of the 2000 membership figures for Swedish trade unions The three central trade union confederations - bringing together unions representing university graduates, blue-collar workers and white-collar workers respectively - always make their figures public, even when these are less than impressive. As a whole the trade union movement continues to lose members, even if there are some individual gains among the unions representing professional staff. Swedish trade union density stood at 79% in 2000, compared with 84% in 1994." "The three union confederations are the blue-collar Swedish Trade Union Confederation (Landsorganisationen, LO), the white-collar Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (Tj nstem nnens Centralorganisation, TCO) and the graduate Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations (Sveriges AkademikersCentralorganisation, SACO). LO and its 18 affiliated unions had a total of just over 2 million members as at 31 December 2000. TCO and its 18 affiliates had about 1,250,000 members, while SACO had 492,706 members. All figures include non-active members such as students and pensioners." Read entire article, "Overall union membership declines." EIRO online http://217.141.24.196/2001/06/Feature/SE0106105F.html ===== Europe: ======== Examples of membership of younger people in various types of organizations: "Membership in art, music or educational organisations: ...has also increased in Western Europe (see Figure 3). In Central-Western Europe it increased three-fold, from 8 % to 23 %, in South-Western Europe more than four-fold from 6 % to 27 % and in North-Western Europe it increased from 14 % to 27 %. In the post-communist countries this had also increased, although not so dramatically as in Western Europe. "Membership of professional organisations: ... has also increased, although not by the same amount. In Central-Western Europe, this had increased from 7 % to 10 %, in South-Western Europe from 1 % to 12 %, in North-Western Europe it has remained stable at 7 %. On this variable, there was also a rise in the post-communist countries by a few per cent, although in Russia it has declined from very low to almost nothing at all (see Figure 4). "Membership in charitable organisations (see Figure 5): ... has increased very dramatically, especially in the South-West, where it jumped from about 1 % to 13 % - the biggest rate of increase of all. However, in all other Western European countries, as well as in Central-Eastern Europe, there has been a rise in membership of charitable organisations (although only a small number of the population belongs to such organisations). Furthermore, the active participation has increased even more than the passive participation in these organisations (this is not shown here). Even in the post-communist countries of the Baltic Republics, along with Bulgaria and Romania, there has been an increase. Only in Russia has it declined from already low levels. We could say therefore, that this type of Third Sector activity has been of increasing importance in most parts of Europe. "In voluntary organisations: ...we find that the Central-Western European countries are more or less stable at about 12 % over the 1990s (see Figure 6), whilst the South-West has shot up from 3 % to 13 % and the North-West has stayed in the lead by rising from 12 % to 17 %. In Central-Eastern Europe, such membership has also increased from 4 % to 9 %. However, in the other post-communist regions, we find a decline over the 1990s so that membership of voluntary organisations is now almost negligible among young people. "Membership of environmental organisations: ... has increased in Western Europe, especially in South-Western Europe where it rose eight-fold. In Central-Eastern Europe it also rose, although in the other post-communist regions, it has declined (see Figure 7). This reflects the fact, perhaps, that environmental activism was important as part of the politics of opposition during the perestroika period of the 1980s; now, along with other kind of political activism, this has declined among young people in these regions (Wallace and Kovatcheva 1998). "Membership of labour unions: ... is one variable where there has been a general decline or not much increase, in most countries. Whilst in Central-Western and North-Western Europe, membership has been rather stable (see Figure 8), in South-Western Europe it has risen considerably. However, in all the post-communist regions there has been a dramatic decline in membership of labour unions, reflecting perhaps the fact that these organisations formed part of the communist state administration in the past and this is no longer the case. Therefore membership of labour unions in the past was a duty; now it is not. Read the entire article and see accompanying charts: "Civic Participation among Young People in Europe," by Reingard Spannring, Claire Wallace and Christian Haerpfer. Nordic Youth Research Information Symposia. http://www.alli.fi/nyri/nyris/nyris7/papers/wallace.htm#Figure%204 ============================================================================ Rates of Volunteer Participation in Small Towns versus Large Communities ************************************************************************ (As I said in my introduction, I am not sure this is what you want. You were primarily interested in professional associations and their local chapters) "Towns thrive on volunteerism. Part of the reason towns operate so efficiently is the huge amount of service offered by volunteers. The Town Volunteer Fire Department is more than a proud part of our heritage, with modern equipment and skills volunteers still play a vital role in town government." From "Are Towns Worth Saving." Town of Grafton. (2002) http://www.grafton-town.org/newsletter/spring2001.pdf. Canada: Rural vs. urban: "Small towns and rural areas have a higher rate of volunteering than big cities (37 per cent vs. 29 per cent, 1997 survey)." From "Volunteering in Numbers," by Daniel Schwartz, CBC's The National (2/4/2002) http://www.cbc.ca/news/bigpicture/volunteer/volunteering.html Please let me know if you need further information, or can break down any additional clarification requests into some specific examples that may make for a more definitive search. Also, please advise me if the links do not work. I am happy to be of further help. umiat-ga Google Search strategy +decline +volunteerism +professional associations AND participation decline rates of volunteerism in small versus large towns volunteer participation AND declining OR increasing +professional organizations volunteer participation "South America" +associations decline in membership South american associations

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