Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement

AL!VE in the Media: Nonprofit Quarterly Cites AL!VE’s 2023 Career Pathways Research (January 6, 2026)

AL!VE is proud to be cited in a recent article published by Nonprofit Quarterly, reinforcing what our members have long known: volunteerism is essential to nonprofit impact and requires professional leadership and intentional investment.

In For Every $100 Foundations Give, Only 19 Cents Go to Volunteer Support, author Jan Masaoka examines the chronic underinvestment in volunteer engagement. The article highlights new data showing that just $0.19 of every $100 in foundation funding goes toward supporting volunteers and the systems that make their contributions effective. While foundations often fund direct services, they rarely invest in the infrastructure, staff capacity, training, and technology required to engage volunteers at scale.

Why This Matters for the Field

The article draws from a major report released by Points of Light last year. While the report acknowledges that volunteerism is “necessary” for social change, the article challenges the idea that this realization is new. Volunteer engagement professionals have long understood that volunteers are central to disaster response, healthcare, education, civil rights, mutual aid, and community resilience.

Crucially, the article cites AL!VE’s 2023 Career Pathways research, which found that the primary barrier to effective volunteer engagement is not a lack of people willing to volunteer, but insufficient staff capacity to engage them well. This finding directly counters narratives about a “volunteer shortage” and reframes the challenge as one of investment, professionalization, and systems rather than motivation.

Listening to AL!VE: The Voice of Volunteer Engagement Professionals

AL!VE’s inclusion in this national conversation underscores the importance of listening to the professionals who design, lead, and sustain volunteer engagement every day. As the definitive professional association for leaders of volunteers, AL!VE represents thousands of practitioners across sectors who understand that volunteers are not free labor. They are stakeholders whose time, skills, and lived experience require thoughtful stewardship.

When respected field-wide publications like Nonprofit Quarterly elevate the voices of volunteer engagement professionals, it strengthens advocacy efforts across philanthropy, government, and nonprofit leadership. It also affirms what AL!VE has consistently championed:

Moving the Conversation Forward

The article calls for deeper research, clearer ROI metrics, and broader funding strategies, including public funding, to support volunteerism. These conversations align directly with AL!VE’s mission to advance the profession through advocacy, professional development, community building, and field-wide leadership.

We are grateful to Nonprofit Quarterly for amplifying the voice of the volunteer engagement profession and for recognizing AL!VE as a trusted source of insight and expertise. Together, we can continue shifting the narrative from “nice” to truly necessary.

Read the full article in Nonprofit Quarterly at https://nonprofitquarterly.org/for-every-100-foundations-give-only-19-cents-go-to-volunteer-support/.
Learn about AL!VE's Career Pathways research and findings at https://www.volunteeralive.org/career_pathways.php.