The Serve America Act promises to unlock the potential of American volunteers to help solve our greatest challenges.
As you read this, the U.S. Senate is deciding the fate of the Serve America Act, an historic bill that promises to rewrite the future of service and volunteering. With debate taking place right now, it’s time for your voice to be heard, too.
A bipartisan proposal originally introduced by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the Serve America Act represents a commitment to one of our most precious assets — the desire of volunteers to make a difference. By calling for a reinvestment in the infrastructure of service and volunteering, the bill (S. 277) promises to unlock the potential of American volunteers to help solve our greatest challenges. It’s the first major legislation on service in America since the early 1990s.
With strong support from the White House, earlier this month the House version of the bill, the GIVE Act (H.R. 1388), passed with bipartisan support. Now, however, the bill is meeting resistance from Senators who are concerned about any investment of public funds in these uncertain times.
VolunteerMatch believes there are millions of volunteers in this country who are hungry to serve the public good. We support the Serve America Act for three reasons:
- We think the nation has a vital obligation to support the capacity of all citizens to make a difference.
- Our own experience since 1998 has shown the practical need to invest in expanding the capacity of nonprofits to effectively engage volunteers.
- We think that the Act represents an urgent opportunity to more actively support innovation in the social sector — particularly through its proposed Volunteer Generation Fund to encourage innovation in volunteer engagement. Such a fund could help build capacity through investments in programs that reduce the inefficiencies that keep people from getting involved.
By promising to expand on programs that are foundational to service in America, the Serve America Act reinforces the nation’s commitment to the volunteers and organizations that are hard at work making our communities better for everyone.
Please join us in supporting a new era of service:
Learn about the Serve America Act.
Contact your Senators and encourage them to vote for the Serve America Act.
Thank you,
Greg Baldwin
President
VolunteerMatch
