Destination: Give App

Adriana Anderson
4/16/2015

Executive Summary
There are countless volunteer opportunities available today. It is
possible for everyone to find an experience that fits their personal
conditions, yet, only 25 percent of Americans averaging ages 35 - 44
are volunteering. Since 24 percent of the American population is under
the age of 18, it is important to reach out and appeal to the younger
generation by use of smartphones. The easiest way to interest the
American youth is an app that facilitates volunteer trips. To make the
app appealing to the most people, especially the younger audiences, it
should be free with support from sponsors. By partnering with nonprofit volunteer organizations, companies could raise social awareness
among its employees and consumers while also showing their
company in a positive light. Most non-profits run only with the help of
volunteers, so it is important that people can find those opportunities.
The new convenience of organizing volunteer opportunities based on
personal interests through an app would give people more knowledge
in their passions, help them find non-profits that match their interests
and values, and make them more involved in the community.

Business Challenge
There are numerous steps to the process of planning volunteer trips:
destination, transportation, organizations, housing, and countless
more. Just starting to think about volunteering can be overwhelming
for some people causing them not to volunteer. According to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the volunteer rate of 2014 was 25.3 percent
of the population averaging ages 35 - 44 that volunteered at least
once.1 This shows that 75 percent of Americans, who could be
volunteering, are not using their time to do volunteer work. According
to the 2010 census, 24 percent of the population is under age 18.2 If
we could reach that sector of the population, the amount of American
volunteers would be doubled. In order to achieve this goal, it is
essential to partner with corporations that appeal to younger
audiences, such as Apple or Google. Companies who appeal to younger
consumers can partner with nonprofits in order to raise social
awareness among its employees and its consumers. With more
Americans volunteering and corporations supporting and funding
socially conscious behavior, this will create a more connected society.
Since non-profit organizations mostly run on volunteers, it is important
that people are aware of the opportunities they offer. Many people are
not conscious of all the non-profit organizations that exist, so it is
difficult for the organizations to find volunteers to fill their positions.
Many large organizations, such as the Red Cross and AmeriCorps, are
widely known; they do not struggle gathering volunteers.
Unfortunately, many small community non-profits do not get the
volunteer support they need due to a lack of awareness. Large portions
of nonprofits monetary contributions to the United States economy are
because of the work done by volunteers. Volunteers are essential to
the workings of nonprofits and therefore essential to the US economy.
By educating people on non-profits that match their interests more
non-profits will get the volunteer support they need.
Not enough Americans are volunteering, whether it is from difficulty
planning or lack of interest. To get the younger generation interested in
volunteering and aware of the non-profits that exist, it is necessary to
use a medium that engages them: smartphones. By getting the service
directly in to Americans hands, they will be more willing to try
planning a volunteer opportunity tied to their interests at least once.
With more Americans volunteering, it will help businesses, non-profits,
and the community. Sponsoring a service that helps create volunteer
1 "Volunteering in the United States, 2014." U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. February 25, 2015.
2 "Age and Sex Composition: 2010." 2010 Census Briefs. May 1, 2011.

opportunities will put businesses in a socially conscious light. This in

turn will make a larger number of consumers interested in their
business. Non-profits will be able to reach out to more volunteers by
partnering with a service that facilitates volunteer trips. Since
businesses will be encouraging more socially conscious behavior and
Americans will have more volunteering opportunities, the community
will flourish.
Solution Description
The solution to this problem is an app that would facilitate volunteer
trips. Due to the technological advancement of the digital age, an app
would assistance in reaching a younger audience. Since a member of
the younger generation is more apt to own a smart phone, having an
app available through the Apple App Store and Google Play would be
the most beneficial to reach that specific age group. Many people
download free apps exclusively. To make an app appealing to the most
people it should be free with support from sponsors. A free app that
makes volunteering easy would benefit communities across America.
Since an app will be readily available to many Americans, more people
would be willing to participate in volunteer opportunities. The
overwhelming stress of planning the volunteer experience will be taken
out of their hands and people will have more time available to them.
People will be able to use that extra time to get the necessary things in
their life done and use their free time to volunteer. The convenience of
planning volunteer experiences based on personal interests would give
people more experience in their passions and make them more
involved in the community. Getting more experience through
volunteering is very helpful for students and adults who are
transitioning jobs by strengthening their resumes. This in turn will
make it more likely that they will participate in more than one
volunteer opportunity.
An app will also benefit affiliated businesses. By funding an app, the
app users will view the companies associated in a positive light. This
will encourage a higher number of consumers to purchase goods from
the businesses associated with an app. People desire to buy from
companies that align with their lifestyle. The rise of the Corporate
Social Responsibility model such as the business model that TOMS uses
has changed the way people view business practices. According to
Investopedia, The Corporate Social Responsibly Model is defined as,
Corporate initiative to assess and take responsibility for the

company's effects on the environment and impact on social welfare.3

By publicly supporting nonprofit organizations through an app aimed to
increase volunteering people will be more willing to engage with that
business.
Nonprofits would benefit from an app by its ability to attract
volunteers. Many nonprofits do not get the advertising needed to
attract enough volunteers. Through the app, people will be able to find
nonprofits that fit their interests in a faster and simpler method than
through an online search. With more volunteers helping nonprofits the
organizations will be able to utilize their resources towards facets other
than labor.
Overall, this app will benefit communities by encouraging a more
supportive and engaged society. Many volunteer positions are directly
engaged with the surrounding community such as delivering meals to
those in need, tutoring students, or fundraising. Businesses will be
encouraging social awareness and nonprofits will be receiving much
needed support. Students will have more opportunities to apply their
learning outside the classroom through volunteering.
Research Synopsis
An app that makes it easier to plan volunteer trips is needed to
improve volunteer engagement. In 2014, the people that volunteered
the most were not in the labor force, and the second largest volunteer
group was unemployed.4 According to Femida Handy and Laurie Mook,
researchers on the costs and benefits of volunteering, one of the costs
of volunteering is foregone earnings or leisure.5 Since volunteering
already takes up peoples time, it is important that setting up volunteer
opportunities is efficient and simple. By making the process of
organizing volunteer work more time efficient, people will have
additional time spend on necessities such as work or school making
volunteering less stressful. Since volunteering will become less of a
time commitment, it will appeal to a wider audience, including those
with a busier schedule such as students or full time workers.
According to a report by Nielsen on mobile phone usage, 70 percent
of teens (aged 13-17) and 79 percent of young adults (aged 18-24)
3 "Corporate Social Responsibility Definition | Investopedia."
Investopedia. October 28, 2007. Accessed April 16, 2015.
4 "Volunteering in the United States, 2014." U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. February 25, 2015.
5 Handy, F, and Laurie M, "Volunteering and Volunteers: Benefit-Cost
Analyses," Research on Social Work Practice, 2011, pg. 414

now own smartphones.6 With cellphone usage in young adults

increasing, it is essential to utilize technological avenues to stay
relevant with the younger generations. This means that the best way
to reach the largest number of youth is through mobile apps available
through Google and Apple. Since young adults are usually living on a
smaller income, they are more likely to download an app that is free
rather than a paid app. According to Statista, the app market is
forecasted to reach 268.69 billion apps downloaded, with 253.91 billion
of them being free. That is 94.5 percent of all apps.7 By offering a free
app, more people will be willing to download it and participate in
volunteer experiences they would not have before.
The value of volunteers for nonprofits is astounding. In a report by the
Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, it is stated that in 2013 the
value of work done by volunteers over the age of 16 was estimated to
be 163 billion dollars; that is 18 percent of the contributions to the US
economy by nonprofits.8 Volunteers are essential to the nonprofit
sector. With over 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States alone,
there must be a volunteer opportunity out there that fits some of each
persons passions.9 With the help of an app that uses peoples interests
and skills to quickly find volunteer opportunities, discovering that
perfect volunteer experience will be almost effortless.
According to an article in The Guardian, communities with high levels
of volunteering usually have a better quality of life.10 This suggests that
volunteering promotes a well-connected community due to the social
engagement that comes with volunteering. The main types of
volunteer activities according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics are
mostly face-to-face interactions with community members such as
serving food, tutoring, teaching, and fundraising.11 Volunteering also
fosters academic success. According to the Campaign for National and
Community Service, Students who report doing better in school are
more likely to be volunteers than students who report doing less well,
and are also more likely to have been involved in community service as
6 Ring the Bells: More Smartphones in Students Hands Ahead of
Back-to-School Season, Nielsen, October, 2013
7 "Topic: Mobile App Usage." Statista.
8 McKeever, Brice, and Sarah Pettijohn. "The Nonprofit Sector in Brief
2014." Center on Nonprofit and Philanthropy. October 1, 2014.
9 "Quick Facts About Nonprofits." National Center for Charitable
Statistics.
10 "Volunteering 'Boosts Community Happiness'" The Guardian.
September 20, 2004.
11 "Volunteering in the United States, 2014." U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. February 25, 2015.

part of a school activity.12 This shows that when young adults are
involved in volunteer opportunities, they become well-rounded
individuals.
Summary
There are many steps to the volunteer process, which can make
volunteering feel like more of a hassle than the work is worth. If a
volunteer opportunity lines up with a persons passions, they will be
more likely to volunteer. Young adults are a large demographic of the
United States population. If we could reach that sector, many more
Americans would be volunteering. Due to the technological advances
of the younger generation and time wasted on the search for volunteer
opportunities, an app would be beneficial to reach that audience. By
having an app that facilitates the volunteer opportunity search, while
also matching passions and skills, more people will be willing to give
up their time for the benefit of others. Businesses will benefit from
sponsoring the app by an increase in clienteles. When consumers see a
business as being socially aware, they will be more willing to shop at
that business. Non-profits who partner with the app will see an
increase in volunteers. It is important to get more of the American
population to volunteer in order to create a well-connected society. If
you would like to get connected or gather further information on
Destination: Give and their app, visit their website at
destinationgive.org.

12 "Youth Helping America: The Role of Social Institutions in Teen

Volunteering." Campaign for National & Community Service. November
1, 2005.