Overlooked and Underutilized: Turning Good Intentions Into Action

Abstract

The city of Atlanta faces tough problems at the same time as most traditional institutions, governments, business, nonprofits and schools are having to do more with less. This is creating a growing demand for engaging people in our problem solving. Society is demanding much more from the world of volunteerism. And volunteering itself has evolved. It no longer looks like a group planting a tree or painting a wall. Instead, it looks like a hackathon, a citizen scientist, or social entrepreneur. People today have more power to drive change than ever before, we live in an age of “big citizenship” and the power of people to create extraordinary change. Twenty first century volunteers are equipped with new powers for organizing, scaling, communicating and acting. Volunteers are using all of their skills, their voice and their purchasing power and philanthropic dollars to create change in their communities and around the world.