A commonly quoted mantra suggests that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. Thankfully, Central Texas has plenty of residents who will not accept inaction. When they see a way to make someone’s life better, they act.

Nonprofits depend on the help of volunteers to thrive. Without them, many charities and the valuable services they provide would be lost. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 65 million people, more than a quarter of the population, volunteered in the United States in 2011.

Volunteers help fuel the work of charities, but what fuels the volunteers? Tom McKee, founder of Volunteer Power, divides their motivations into three categories: self-serving drive, relational drive and belief drive            

The majority of volunteers fall into the first two categories, getting involved to gain professional skills or because a friend encouraged it. It’s those in the third category who bring the highest level of energy and passion to their work.

Volunteers who believe strongly in the cause of a charity are likely to offer more time, work harder and do whatever is needed to help others. These are often the volunteers who provide services to people facing unexpected troubles.

The American Red Cross of Central Texas attracts many volunteers devoted to aiding people during disasters. The nonprofit Wonders &Worries depends on the work of dedicated volunteers to offer comfort and support to the children of families dealing with serious illness.

Volunteers are the Heart of American Red Cross of Central Texas 

The American Red Cross of Central Texas is one of the most respected nonprofits for its reliable role in helping people during times of great distress. With 1,200 volunteers serving 48 Central Texas counties, the organization provides an effective, unpaid work force to aid official government organizations in emergency relief, disaster preparedness training, military support and other health and safety services.

The hard work of many volunteers has built the reputation of the Red Cross.

“We have volunteers who help us do every aspect of what we do at the Red Cross,” says Debbie Immel, Regional Chief Development Officer of the American Red Cross of Central Texas.

Volunteers do 95 percent of the work performed by the Red Cross, providing administrative functions, disaster relief and services for military families.

Volunteer Joanna Johnson, Captain of a Travis County disaster team, is often one of the first responders when there’s a fire in the Austin area. 

“I’ve been on calls where the fire is still going,” she says, “I let the client know I’m there and that we’ll figure out where to go after this and talk them through the process of what’s going to happen next.”

When Johnson shows up at the scene of a fire, she comforts the people affected and does an assessment of what they need in the short term. She makes sure they have money to cover clothes, food and shelter and provides an informational packet to help them through the next few weeks.

The basic goals are the same whether helping one family whose home was destroyed in a fire, or mobilizing many volunteers to respond to a natural disaster. By providing basic necessities and guidance, volunteers can turn a chaotic situation into something manageable. 

Johnson says that she thrives on helping the underserved.

“I got involved with the Red Cross when Katrina hit 7 years ago. That’s when I saw a need in our community.” Once she got involved, she felt that she had found her calling.

“I don’t need to hear thank you.” She says, “It’s just seeing that resolution with the client … that they’ve been comforted, their emotional needs have been met and their physical needs have been met. That’s what fills my heart.”

Wonders & Worries fueled by creativity of volunteers

Anyone who has experienced the illness of a family member knows the toll it can take. For a child, the illness of a parent can be devastating.

Wonders & Worries provides professional support services to children who have a parent dealing with a serious or chronic illness. In a 6-week curriculum, the group’s trained child life specialists help children better understand the illness their parents have, learn how to effectively communicate their feelings about it and develop the coping skills to get through it with their families. 

“We’ve flourished to the point we’re at today through the work of the volunteers in our community,” says Meredith Cooper, Executive Director.

For a small organization like Wonders & Worries, volunteers are especially important. They handle administrative functions, staff the board of directors, raise community awareness and play a crucial role in fundraising. 

“I think that they find that working with us is very rewarding in terms of being able to feel like you are making a difference,” says Development Director Jennifer Bengali. “Because our organization is so small — we only have 15 staff members — you can make a significant impact.”

The group was founded in 2001 with a grant from the LiveStrong Foundation, and today, volunteers do most of the organization’s fundraising. Wonders & Worries holds several annual fundraising events, and volunteers provide the creative spark to gather donations. 

For the No Worries Classic, a skeet-shooting competition, each participant is asked to raise $3,000 and given free rein to determine how to do so.

By “just challenging people to think of what’s exciting for their friends and their family and what they can do,” the organization has seen volunteers develop many successful ideas, Bengali says.

Many volunteers create websites, employ social media or host parties with an admission fee. Others have offered to shave their head if they reach their goal or have auctioned off the name of the shooting team. To raise items for the group’s !Que Maravilla! auction, some volunteers have thrown parties and encouraged guests to bring a special bottle of wine to donate.

Wonders & Worries’ mission is easy for many volunteers to relate to, Cooper says.

“To think what it must be like for a child to have a parent with a very serious illness is something that resonates well with people,” Cooper says.