Moving the social impact sector forward with service and volunteerism
From the daily ways we help our friends and neighbors, to the time and talent we devote to community organizations, to how we use our voices to spread awareness and call attention to the causes we care about, every act makes a difference to meet the critical needs in our communities.
Virginia 2022-2024 State Service Plan
In 2022, Serve Virginia launched a sweeping new three-year vision for the service and volunteerism ecosystem in Virginia centered around building a stronger culture of service, volunteerism and civic engagement, building a more representative and aligned network of partners and building a more robust infrastructure of resources for our partners.
We believe in the power of service and volunteerism to spark change, strengthen lives, and produce lasting impacts for communities throughout Virginia. This purpose drives the goal of the Virginia State Service Plan:
Inspire more Virginians from all parts of the Commonwealth to engage in service and volunteer experiences to combat disparities and meet our most pressing needs.
This goal will guide our work to advance three interrelated strategies:
- Build a stronger culture of service, volunteerism, and civic engagement.
- Build a more representative, integrated, and aligned network of partners.
- Build a more robust resource and support infrastructure.
where we serve
Top 4 Places Virginians Volunteer
Those who volunteered within the past year most often did so with youth or educational organizations, food pantries or hunger relief organizations, faith communities, or health-related organizations. In addition, in the past year:
- 62% volunteered with more than one organization.
- 80% said they volunteered at least once a month.
- 79% said their level of volunteering increased or remained the same.
To learn more about where people give of their time, talent, and treasure (and what influences their decisions), see VCEI Part 2: The Current State of Engagement.
civic action
Using Our Voices
68% of Virginians said they voted in a local, state or national election in the past year. But voting isn’t the only way Virginians make their voices heard.
- 34% said they posted or shared content on social media related to a political or social cause.
- 26% said they originated or signed a written or virtual petition.
- 23% said they attended a public meeting to discuss a local issue.
To learn more about the how people use their voice to affect change see VCEI Part 2: The Current State of Engagement.
community priorities
Top 3 Needs Facing Communities
When considering the most pressing needs where they live, Virginians most often identified education, health and well-being and housing.
- 49% of those who chose EDUCATION as a top priority said teacher burnout was the number one issue to address.
- 59% of those who chose HEALTH AND WELL-BEING as a top priority said behavioral and mental health was a top-two area of need.
- 82% of those who chose HOUSING as a top priority said affordability of rental properties was the most pressing issue to address.
To learn more about the challenges our communities face and ways to address those challenges, see VCEI Part 1: Community Needs, Priorities, and Effectiveness of Actions.
Roadmap for the Future
In 2022, Serve Virginia launched a sweeping new three-year vision for the service and volunteerism ecosystem in Virginia centered around building a stronger culture of service, volunteerism and civic engagement, building a more representative and aligned network of partners and building a more robust infrastructure of resources for our partners. Our Virginia Community Engagement Index, which was guided by nearly 40 partner organizations, advances all three strategies at once.