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6-24-2024 12:22am
OPINION: Let's Encourage the Tradition of Volunteerism in Westwood for Democracy's Sake
Darlene Cancell
Editor
The following opinion article represents the views and opinions of the author, and not necessarily those of Westwood Minute.
By John Aram, Contributor
Community needs outpace available resources today in Westwood and most other communities. Joe Previtera, Chair of the Westwood Select Board, comments, “We have more and more demands on municipal government, and we have finite resources. Westwood depends greatly on people volunteering who have expertise in areas we need to address.”
In Previtera’s view, Westwood does not lack highly qualified candidates. Rather, there are simply more openings for boards, committees, and working groups than the number of available volunteers.
This challenge calls for a better understanding of volunteerism in Westwood today. What is the status of volunteering in Westwood and why does it matter?
On May 28th, the Westwood Select Board approved a resolution to extend the terms of existing members and officers of the town’s Environmental Action Committee (WEAC) because new members were not immediately available to replace members rotating off the Committee and existing members were not available to undertake leadership roles. This action raises a question about the status of volunteering in Westwood: Was the recent experience of WEAC part of a general trend or was it an anomaly?
There is evidence of a national trend of declining volunteerism. Studies report that numbers of volunteers and charitable donations have been declining in the United States for several decades. One study reports that “the percentage of people donating to charity has declined steadily since the early 2000s, and the formal volunteer rate decreased during the early 2010s.”[1]
This trend comprises an ominous warning at all levels of a society founded on principles of civic participation and self-governance. Governing in small communities dependent on unpaid elective offices and on citizen volunteers, like Westwood, may be particularly affected.
Regional organizations note a decline in volunteerism at the same time social needs are increasing. For example, the Community Foundation for MetroWest works with over 200 for-profit and nonprofit organizations in 33 towns in Middlesex, Norfolk, and Worcester counties to improve the quality of life for the region’s 700,000 residents. Caroline Murphy, the organization's Vice-President of Programs and Donor Services, has witnessed a decline in volunteerism in the post-Covid period. “In addition to dealing with inflation, organizations post-Covid are struggling to come back because people’s schedules have changed or there is still some fear of contagion,” Murphy indicates.
At the same time, Murphy reports that our region’s demographics are changing due to a large influx of immigrant families into the region, partly driven by surging housing costs in Boston, increasing the need for food support, education, housing, and mental health services. “These factors put massive stress on our service organizations that are struggling to find volunteers,” she says.
Kate LaCroix, chairperson of WEAC, suggests some reasons why residents may be less willing to volunteer today. She notes that the digital world puts a distance between people and may allow individuals to be more removed from social causes. Certainly, the pandemic exaggerated this effect, but it goes beyond Zoom sessions. Because volunteering often requires time for in-person interaction, our reliance on digital devices, combined with ultra-busy lives, takes time away from community service.
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LaCroix also observes that a divisive political climate in this country detracts from the civic participation at the local level. “I think there may be less volunteerism because individuals don’t want to draw people’s resentment or anger. It takes an exceptional amount of courage right now to stand up for the causes that are important to you when there may be a real fear you may become a target of negativity. Things today can get very personal and even aggressive,” she states.
Is there any evidence that volunteerism in Westwood is lower today than previously? The number of residents participating in the Annual Town Meeting and the number of contested positions for the elective non-paid leadership positions (e.g., Select Board, planning committee, school committee, assessor, etc.) are indicators of public-spirited volunteerism. In terms of Annual Town meetings, 449 residents attended the 2024 Annual Town Meeting, the most since 2019. Participation in Town Meeting reaches well over 1000 residents when major and potentially controversial issues are discussed. Taking into consideration only “routine” meetings, post-pandemic attendance in Town Meetings is comparable to its historical average.[2]
It is true that this year none of the nine non-paid elective positions in the Town was contested, while since 2014 the most common number of contested races for these positions has been between 2 and 4.[3] More time is needed to tell whether 2024 was an exception or the beginning of a new pattern.[4]
Undeniably, Westwood is subject to the same social changes and pressures as other communities, such as the digitization of everyday life, ideological and political polarization, and a more diversified society. Even though the Town comes out below Norfolk County on demographic changes, such as foreign-born residents (13% vs. 19%), language diversity (16% vs. 23%), single parent families (12% vs. 22%), or persons aged 85 or older (8% vs. 15%), these developments increasingly will impact this community.[5]
To increase participation, Select Board member, Marianne Cummings, imagines structural change, such as offering childcare during Annual Town Meetings. Kate LaCroix advocates for more interactive community events, such as WEAC’s “Repair Café,” Pride events, and Westwood Day. Certainly, any events that recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributions that volunteers currently make to the community would highlight and reinforce volunteerism.
Local self-governance is not only a tradition in this country; it’s also a responsibility. It matters because our very democracy depends on privileged, talented, and relatively affluent communities like Westwood adapting to and rising above social pressures toward fragmentation, division, and isolation. Preserving and strengthening the tradition of volunteerism in Westwood will not be easy or automatic, but what tradition is more worthwhile?
[1] Nathan Dietz and Robert T. Grimm, Jr, “Understanding Generosity: A look at what influences volunteering and giving in the United States,” the Do Good Institute of the University of Maryland, November, 2023. https://dogood.umd.edu/research-impact/publications/understanding-generosity-look-what-influences-volunteering-and-giving. Also see, “Volunteering and Civic Life in America,” https://americorps.gov/about/our-impact/volunteering-civic-life#:~:text=The%20rate%20of%20formal%20volunteering,during%20the%20COVID%2D19%20pandemic.
[2] Westwood Town Clerk.
[3] Westwood Town Clerk.
[4] Voting is a related form of civil participation. Election data from 2004-2022 indicate that Westwood averaged a turnout of 73% compared to an average turnout of 60% in Norfolk County as a whole.[4] At 87%, in 2020 turnout in Westwood was the highest for the Town at least since 2000. See https://www.impactmw.org/community-life/voter-participation-rate.
Thanks to John Aram, a retired professor of management policy, and a recent resident of Westwood, for contributing this opinion and analysis to Westwood Minute.
Westwood Minute takes no position on the opinion articles that it publishes, but seeks accurate and thoughtful commentary on topics that matter to our community, from a variety of differing viewpoints. Feel free to reply with your reaction below, or submit another perspective to WestwoodInAMinute@gmail.com.
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Updated 6/26/2024 at 12:31 p.m. A mistaken reference to "MetroWest Foundation" has been corrected to "Community Foundation for MetroWest" and the name of the organization's representative who is quoted is corrected to "Caroline Murphy." Westwood Minute regrets the error.
