Work

Civic powerhouses: How organizations drive volunteering

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Civic powerhouses: How organizations drive volunteering Rebecca Nesbit and Laurie E. Paarlberg, focus on civic powerhouses, explaining how organizations, such as faith congregations, drive volunteering. Volunteering is a cornerstone of civic life, yet rates of secular volunteerism vary dramatically across U.S. counties. While most studies of volunteering focus on individual traits and motivations that support volunteerism, we focus on how community context influences volunteering. Our research develops a detailed typology of a community’s “organizational infrastructure” – the mix of nonprofits, businesses, congregations, schools, and government agencies in a place – and tests how each dimension relates to individuals’ likelihood of volunteering. Below, we highlight five high-level results from our work.

Source: Open Access Government

DOI: 10.56367/oag-048-12191

Authors: Rebecca Nesbit, Laurie E Paarlberg

Institutions: University of Georgia, Indiana University Indianapolis

Language: English

Topic: Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

OpenAlex ID: W4415382912