Telling the Whole Story

From nonprofits to public sector programs, volunteers are at the heart of many of the organizations making a difference in our community and beyond. These volunteers come from increasingly diverse ethnic backgrounds, but too often the contributions and motivations of ethnic volunteers go unrecognized.

This 2012 report, sponsored in part by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, tells the stories of these invaluable people through a series of focus groups examining volunteers from seven different American ethnic groups. These stories of continuity, connectedness, consequence and culture provide useful insights for organizations seeking to understand how to empower ethnic communities and attract more people to the spirit of volunteerism.