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Can Service Save the Economy?

January 28, 2009

With 9.4 million paid workers and nearly five million volunteers, non-profits comprise 10 percent of America’s workforce

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John Bridgeland on the EconomyThis week, President Obama called upon all Americans to volunteer, to pitch in and give back. We hope that the president is serious about this challenge, because providing more opportunities for national and community service won’t just lift the nation’s spirit, it could help save the economy.

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It’s no secret that our economy is in deep trouble and that various options for its rescue and resuscitation have been a topic of strenuous debate for months. Banks and the auto industry have received billions., both having made the case, at least to government leaders, that they are too important to the American economy to fail.

In a recent New York Times opinion article John Bridgeland and Bruce Reed point out the importance of non-profits to the nation’s economy. Bridgeland and Reed reveal that, with 9.4 million paid workers and nearly five million volunteers, non-profits comprise 10 percent of America’s workforce – more than the auto industry and the financial industry combined. And just as those industries are feeling the pain of our economic woes, the non-profit industry is even more deeply distressed by fewer charitable donations, state and local budget cuts and an increase in demand for services.

With non-profit organization playing such a vital role in our economy and especially in times of need for those in need, should government invest in non-profits as part of TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program)?

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Service, Policy, Public Policy, Volunteering, Charitable Donations, Economy

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1 Comment in this Thread

By Anonymous at 12:58 PM on Feb 1st, 2009

Yes. Persons dedicated to education, health and the environment can make a tremendous difference and they do so at wages that are well below those in the for-profit sector. When the economy is poor, those are the positions cut first. It would be very helpful if their expertise and commitment could be supported by these temporary funds.

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