Fuel for the Field

On the heels of President Obama’s launch of the United We Serve campaign – calling on all Americans to volunteer to rebuild our communities – media trucks and police crammed San Francisco’s Howard Street, blocks from REDF’s office, awaiting the late afternoon arrival of Michelle Obama and Maria Shriver.  The First Ladies, had spent the morning kicking off the campaign in San Francisco by helping to build a public playground at the local Bret Harte Public Elementary School.  In the afternoon, they headed over to the Moscone Center to energize the 4,000 attendees here for the National Conference on Volunteering and Service.

Alan Khazei of Be the Change had extended a gracious invitation to REDF to attend the conference’s opening lunch, where Domestic Policy Council chief Melody Barnes offered her personal view that service is a passion which provides returns again and again, and that given the daunting challenges we face, service has to be more than a one off event, and must become part of our lives and routines.

Someone asked – what about people who really need jobs and can’t just volunteer?  Barnes responded that volunteer service is just part of the equation, and we also need business, government, philanthropy and nonprofits to step up on all fronts.

From my perspective, the passion for serving our communities is the backbone of all of these efforts.  In the social enterprise arena, this ranges from people who dedicate financial resources, talent, and time to starting businesses in order to create jobs for people who otherwise would not have them; to the people who get those jobs, and leave the streets to instead create goods and services that in turn benefit communities – through recycling, landscaping, and park maintenance.

Telling these stories through the media – new and traditional — was front and center.  Arianna Huffington invited everyone to upload stories of service to a special section of the Huffington Post, and the United We Serve website is also seeking stories.  That website is also the town square and meeting place for those interested in volunteering, along with a new platform – All for Good.  The Entertainment Industry Foundation also announced a major, multi-year campaign with television shows, celebrities and a spotlight on community service starting October 19.

On day 2, at a strategic conversation for funders on Innovations, Opportunities and Challenges for Service and Civic Engagement, Sonal Shah, who heads up the White House Office of Social Innovation, shared her thoughts, along with blogger Sean Stannard-Stockton and others, to a roomful of foundation executives about how government and philanthropy can partner to create even greater change.  She stressed that events are moving so fast that we need to learn to adapt quickly in order to add value.

California is one of only two states (along with New York) with a cabinet level Secretary for Volunteering and Community Service.  California’s Secretary Karen Baker says, “We know that when we serve others, we change lives. And that when we act, others do, too. It starts a chain reaction.”