As a growing number of young people volunteer in their communities to solve problems, David Eisner, who oversees AmeriCorps and SeniorCorps as a presidential appointee, believes the future is bright for national service programs.
“The best thing about service is it can connect you with powerful networks, give you new skills, experiences you haven’t already had and new friends,” Eisner told students at a Nov. 8 dinner in the Center for the Arts.
Eisner listed three indicators that a person would be inclined to serve: previous volunteer work, whether a person’s relative also volunteers for a cause, and the number of social networks to which someone belongs. He observed how young people today show little tolerance for “incompetence” in charity work and how many volunteer experiences must be “visceral” for students. For instance, stuffing envelopes is important for many nonprofit groups, but such a task does not show volunteers the fruits of their labor.
Time is also valuable to young professionals. If two volunteers arrive to rake leaves at an event, and the charity owns just one rake, young people express displeasure. Eisner said that differs from a generation ago where most volunteers might shrug it off because “it’s for charity.”
Nonprofit groups must also prepare for the Baby Boomer generation, which is now approaching retirement, as older Americans with no work responsibilities begin to offer their skills and expertise for free.
Eisner also spoke with communications students Nov. 9 in the McEwen building. He suggested that students who know they want to enter the nonprofit sector spend some time in the corporate world to develop management skills – and that students who want to enter the corporate world first devote time to community or national service to glean “what it means to be a human being.”
The Corporation for National & Community Service honored Elon University with one of just three Presidential Awards to a college or university in recognition of general service to the community in 2006.
President George W. Bush appointed Eisner to his position in 2003. Prior to his work with the office, Eisner served as an executive with AOL and AOL Time Warner. According to a biographical sketch on the corporation’s web site, Eisner oversaw the AOL Foundation, a charitable organization, and “became a nationally recognized leader on nonprofit capacity-building, infrastructure, and organizational effectiveness.”
Eisner is a Stanford University graduate and earned his law degree from Georgetown University. He started his career on Capitol Hill as press secretary to three elected leaders and has worked as an executive in other public relations capacities.
His sister, Sharon, is an adjunct instructor in the School of Communications at Elon.