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Energize Press Release
Distributed April 2006
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New Perspectives on Volunteerism:
Volunteer Impact Spreads Far Beyond Response to Immediate Needs
Did you know approximately 65.4 million Americans volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2004 and September 2005? Volunteering is on the rise and of interest to government, nonprofit organizations, and the general public as never before. The spontaneous involvement of volunteers was thrust into media headlines in 2005 by Mother Nature and catastrophic natural events in the United States and around the world. But the true impact of volunteers spreads far beyond such immediate results of their good deeds. In responding to current events, social problems, and community needs, volunteers have been and remain pioneers, experimenters, and shapers of our society.
 Energize, Inc. proudly demonstrates the full impact of volunteer involvement in its NEW twenty-first century edition of By the People: A History of Americans as Volunteers (November 2005), an essential resource for the reference library of everyone who works with volunteers. With this fully updated third edition, By the People remains the definitive source of information about the past, present, and the future of volunteering.
Authors, Susan J. Ellis and Katherine H. Campbell provide a new perspective on volunteerism. In describing historical and modern mass movements such as abolition, women’s suffrage, civil rights, AIDS awareness, international relief efforts, and more, the authors show how various groups have arisen, and continue to arise, in response to current events, social problems, and community needs that volunteers are often the first to identify. In fact, volunteers have been founders of most of the public institutions and non-profit organizations that we now take for granted. Shattering stereotypes, the authors highlight how volunteers played a significant role in:
- Founding the first American bank as an act of Revolution
- Establishing the first libraries and museums
- Beginning youth sports leagues
- Initiating public health practices, from quarantines to public baths
- Preserving Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks
By the People is more than a history book. Readers learn about:
- Misconceptions and stereotypes about volunteering
- The definitions and vocabulary of volunteering, community service, activism, and other key terms
- The evolution of the profession of volunteer management
- The power of volunteering and its relevance for today
In addition, By the People provides tools to:
- Give speeches that illustrate the volunteer tradition of every segment of our population
- Inspire volunteers and provide them with an understanding of how their efforts fit into the larger picture of citizen involvement
Volunteers and leaders of volunteers who discover their history will be prepared to envision the future of civic engagement and to develop the innovative programs of tomorrow.
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For a review copy or to interview the authors, please contact Cara Thenot, Director of Publishing, Energize, Inc., at 215-438-8342 or cara@energizeinc.com.
By the People: A History of Americans as Volunteers
Susan J. Ellis and Katherine H. Campbell
$34.95 Hardcover, ISBN: 0-940576-43-0
$24.95 Paperback, ISBN: 0-940576-41-4
$16.00 e-Book, ISBN 0-940576-42-2
386 Pages, 6 x 9, Indexed
About the Authors
Susan J. Ellis is president of Energize, Inc., an international training, consulting, and publishing firm that specializes in volunteerism. She founded the Philadelphia-based company in 1977 and since that time has assisted clients throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia to create or strengthen their volunteer corps.
Susan is the author or co-author of eleven books, including From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Volunteer Program Success and The Volunteer (and Membership Development) Recruitment Book. She has written more than 90 articles on volunteer management for dozens of publications and writes the national bi-monthly column, “On Volunteers,” for The NonProfit Times (since 1990). From 1981 to 1987 she was editor-in-chief of The Journal of Volunteer Administration.
The Energize Web site has won international recognition as a premier resource for volunteer program leaders: www.energizeinc.com. In 2000, she and Steve McCurley launched the field's first online journal, e-Volunteerism: The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community www.e-volunteerism.com, for which she serves as editor.
Katherine H. Campbell (formerly Noyes) is a consultant in volunteer development. She served as executive director of the Association for Volunteer Administration (AVA) from 1997 to 2003, having previously been international president of AVA from 1988-92. From 1984 to 1997, she worked for the Virginia Governor’s Office of Volunteer Services, the premier state office of the time. Over a decade, she worked her way up from roles in program services to the position of executive director.
Katie has co-authored four books with Susan Ellis, including The (Help!) I-Don’t-Have-Enough-Time Guide to Volunteer Management and Children as Volunteers. While at the Virginia Governor’s Office, she wrote Opportunity or Dilemma: Court-Ordered Community Service Workers (1987).
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Contact Information for Reprints:
Energize, Inc., www.energizeinc.com
5450 Wissahickon Ave.
Philadlephia, PA 19144
(215) 438-8342
info@energizeinc.com
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The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community
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