Volunteers and Nonprofits Are Drivers of Democracy

This is the sixth and final article in a series of NPQ articles that first challenge—and then change—the way we think about volunteers. In this series, The Unexpected Value of Volunteers, author Jan Masaoka takes on the underappreciated topic of volunteerism, provides some unexpected ideas, and points the way toward a public policy agenda on volunteerism.

In this series, I have addressed some of the many ways that nonprofits—and their communities—can and do benefit from volunteer labor.

But another way that nonprofits contribute to a society that leans heavily on volunteers is as inherently democratic institutions rooted in the same values that underpin other core democratic practices, such as civilian control of the military, the right to a trial by a jury of our peers, and the right to vote.

In short, nonprofits offer important building blocks for creating and sustaining a democratic society. And engaging volunteers is an important component of nonprofits advancing their democratic mission.

Nonprofits as First Amendment Organizations

Nonprofits could be called “First Amendment organizations,” as they structurally embody each of the five First Amendment freedoms, all of which are under increasing threat in the United States today:

• Freedom of religion: Every religious congregation in the United States is, by law, a nonprofit. In fact, houses of worship comprise roughly one in four active nonprofits. The freedom to choose one’s faith—and to form new congregations—is a core part of liberty. These congregations are often born of volunteer efforts, sustained by them, and often shine the brightest during economic turmoil.
• Freedom of speech: Nonprofits are an important vehicle by which people can raise their voices and demand change. Disability rights groups, for example, do not just serve people with disabilities—they often serve as important advocates. Authoritarian governments often suppress nonprofits for exactly this reason.Nonprofits offer important building blocks for creating and sustaining a democratic society.
• Freedom of the press: Free expression depends on independent media and open platforms. Today nonprofits often find expression through volunteer supporters on social media, and nonprofits are often in the forefront of safeguarding freedom of the press.
• Freedom to peaceably assemble: Volunteers assembling peaceably to change the world could be a potential definition of nonprofit—after all, many nonprofits began as voluntary associations.
• Petitioning the government for redress of grievances: This freedom is central to social justice movements and nonprofits maintain this tradition today with open sign-on letters, like this one. The American Revolution itself began as a collective petition for justice during British colonial rule.

Much has come of these nonprofit volunteer efforts, which have often planted the seeds of transformative change—supporting, among other things, the civil rights movement, environmental activism, women’s health, LGBTQ+ rights, and disability rights. Often they began not with professionals, but with unpaid volunteers organizing around kitchen tables.

Democracy Versus Professionalism

In recent decades, nonprofits have fought to be seen as professional organizations, not “just volunteers.” I’ve even seen nonprofit staff feel insulted and indignant if mistaken for someone who is unpaid! This push for legitimacy has elevated researchers, consultants, and credentialed experts—often above the people who run programs, raise funds, and keep communities together.

As for boards, too often staff view their volunteer board members as out-of-touch amateurs. But this mindset mirrors those of people who argue against juries of peers or limiting voting rights to the educated or English-speaking. Democratic systems depend on universal participation—not just of those with formal expertise.

It is crucial that we in the nonprofit community reinforce and reclaim our democratic birthright.

Of course, part of this professionalization process too has been a separation of volunteer boards from their more representative roots. Last year, in an interview with NPQ, Harvard sociologist and movement organizer Marshall Ganz noted that until the 1960s “large organizations in the United States were representative organizations” that had elected officers, with money flowing from the grassroots to the national centers. But the rise of national direct mail fundraising meant that money and power shifted to the national headquarters.

And, in a parallel trend, more boards began electing their own successors, often called self-perpetuating boards. How democratic do we think Congress would be if they were to choose their own successors?

Reclaiming Our Democratic Roots

Just as boards have strayed from their democratic origins, of course the nonprofit sector is imperfect in many ways. But it is crucial that we in the nonprofit community reinforce and reclaim our democratic birthright.

Movements don’t start with experts. They start with people directly affected by injustice or sharing a dream, exercising their freedoms of speech and assembly. Experts may support or inform these efforts, but they don’t lead them. Movements evolve in turbulent, sometimes fractured ways, but democracy is often like that.

So, let’s reclaim the democratic core of the nonprofit sector.

Let’s see nonprofits not as managers of change, but as vessels for people-powered movements. Let’s lift up volunteer leadership as essential to democracy—just like juries and elections. Let’s remember that nonprofits don’t just deliver services; we deliver on the promises of the Constitution.

If we lose sight of that, we risk losing far more than just good programs. We risk the very foundation of a free and open society—and our nonprofit community.