by Robert Rosenthal, Communications Director, VolunteerMatch

With the Serve America Act headed for presidential approval, volunteerism is in the spotlight in more ways than one.

A common theme in the MSM today is that volunteering is booming during the recession. Volunteers are being turned away from organizations who’ve reached their capacity of volunteers. Search Google for “volunteer” and “recession,” and you’ll find millions of hits.

While it’s true that voluntary service is undergoing real change in the U.S., and that volunteering can play a big role in society during economic downturns, a more important evolution is taking place largely out of the limelight.

This change, a revolution in skilled volunteering that is shattering traditional roles, was already underway before the crash. Powered by Web services and social networking sites that make it easier than ever to discover volunteer opportunities with just the right fit, professionals of all kinds are joining with nonprofit managers to plan marketing campaigns, research funding options, design collateral, write legal memos, or build out new office spaces.

The timing couldn’t be better. As the revolution in service continues to grow, it’s meeting a recession-era society more open to – and more dependent – on volunteering than it has been in a generation.

For those who have been laid off, the right volunteer role can be a springboard to confidence, new skills, and serious professional networking. Volunteering can give workers who felt trapped in their previous job the chance to exercise a dormant desire to give back. And volunteers can feel they’re helping to solve problems they might be seeing in their communities.

For nonprofits, recession-era volunteers can be a crucial tonic for two ailments. On the one hand, recessions create more demand for nonprofit services in the community as more Americans move down the economic ladder. On the other, as fundraising drops, volunteers can fill critical gaps in staffing and make it possible for a program to continue, albeit it in a more limited form. (There has also been interesting recent research on the relationship between volunteering and donating; studies show volunteers who are asked to give money give at higher rates than non-volunteers.)

The interest and focus on the benefits of service is certainly welcome. But our experience has shown that Americans want to give back regardless of what’s happening in the economy.

In the U.S., the most active volunteers are not those with the most time on their hands – the opposite is true.  The prototypical volunteer is working mother, which is not a demographic with tons of free time. She is active in the community, active at home, and active at work. She volunteers because she cares.

And ultimately, wanting to make a difference is still the biggest driver in today’s volunteering revolution.

Robert Rosenthal is communications director for VolunteerMatch, the Web’s largest and most popular volunteer network with over 63,000 participating organizations. Individuals can find volunteer opportunities and nonprofits can post their needs at www.volunteermatch.org.