America has a long and rich history of national service, often turning to it as a powerful lever in times of crisis, as it did after 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the Great Recession of 2008. Now should be no different.

A massive expansion of service is required to meet today’s challenges. It has the potential not only to help build or rebuild much-needed community support systems ravaged by this pandemic, but also — if designed intentionally — to be an integral part of the nation’s intergenerational poverty-interruption arsenal. How we drive that expansion and whom it serves must be central to our approach if we expect national service to meet our society’s most urgent post-COVID needs.

Thankfully, this pandemic will likely inspire a new wave of national service. But it is imperative that those who enlist aren’t just the most privileged people who can most afford to do so; rather, they should be as representative of and accountable to the hardest hit areas as possible. The new opportunities for national service must be fulfilled by Americans who reflect the full tapestry of diverse backgrounds, voices and experiences that make up our nation — especially those who already live in the communities of color disproportionately affected by this crisis.

The pandemic is…

As the country shifts to becoming a true melting pot that exemplifies the notion of E Pluribus Unum, the nonprofit sector is lagging behind. The sector remains staggeringly white in its leadership structure and fundraising tactics.

Aziz Gueye Adetimirin says, “Just 7 percent of nonprofit executives and board members are African-American, while more than 80 percent are white, non-Hispanic. The ‘Daring to Lead’ study found that 82 percent of executive directors were white, that recently hired executives were just as likely to be white as their longer-serving colleagues and that executive directors under 40 were only slightly less likely to be white.”

The monolithic representation at the top of the nonprofit structure bleeds into representation among fundraising professionals. Raymond Flandez writes that “of the 61 [major] institutions they surveyed, 17 percent of fundraisers were members of minority groups. But very few blacks, Hispanics, and others were working directly with donors, the researchers noted.”

These figures do not mesh with the trending demographics in today’s America. Yuha Jung writes of this saying,…

The lifeline of all mission-driven organizations is the volunteer. According to the Independent Sector, a national advocate for the nonprofit sector, “A volunteer can impact the quality of services in charities and congregations while reducing costs.” Everyone loves to save money, but when is saving money more important than taking care of the people that help implement and accomplish the ever-changing objectives and strategic plans?

I enrolled in the Nonprofit Leadership and Management Program at ASU to gain an expanded view on the sector. It is clear that the manner in which an organization provides goods, services and outreach can be determined by human capital. Not being able to fully deliver these services can be attributed to the constraints on budget, staff and lack of resources. These limitations can be decreased if nonprofits embrace the voice and vision of the volunteer. 

CEOs in the nonprofit sector are often considered visionaries who chart the voyage of the organization. We are familiar with the marketing video of the visionary speaking to a group of volunteers and encouraging them to donate time or make a financial contribution, but what about championing the volunteer experience? When will nonprofits actually welcome volunteers as people who can also be a part of charting the voyage? Being able to fully utilize volunteers and truly benefit from their skill sets can be addressed with the help of a volunteer manager.…

According to a 2019 Statistica report on social media use, users spend an average of 136 minutes per day on social channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat. Facebook alone has 2.41 billion monthly active users, and that number is expected to grow to over three billion by 2021. Individuals are not only using digital channels to entertain themselves or connect with friends and family, but to connect with causes they care about. 

The digital age represents an opportunity for nonprofits to increase giving. With merely a click of a mouse or tap on a phone, individuals can quickly learn about and donate to nonprofit organizations. Digital fundraising, specifically on social media channels, provides a way for nonprofits to connect to younger generations who do not have the time nor desire to receive lengthy appeal letters or printed newsletters. It is a rapidly growing medium that nonprofits must tap into if they wish to attract and maintain donors.

Social media and online giving both increased six percent between 2010 and 2018. On the other hand, direct mail decreased by 26 percent. With 75 percent of the population on social media every day, nonprofits have an ever growing audience of vast ages to solicit their…

Professional development (PD) is the "process of improving and increasing capabilities of staff through access to education and training." PD is crucial to keeping the right people working for your organization.

According to Guidestar, there are three reasons why PD is extremely important. First, it helps with staff retention rates. When staff are happy and feel good with not only the work they are doing, but know that they are appreciated and are shown that their work matters, the likelihood of them sticking around in their role is much higher. Second, better results for the organization as whole. When a nonprofit leader invests in the PD of their employees, it will have significant positive effects on fundraising and donor involvement. Lastly, investing in PD means better-educated and more motivated employees to help reach the mission for which the organization is striving.​​​​​​​

While conferences were once the only idea in gaining professional development skills, peer-to-peer mentoring is shown to give the highest output of learned skills. According to a Stanford Social Innovation Review survey, 70 percent of social-sector…