Interviews with Volunteers from Immigrant Communities Regarding Volunteering for a City
Cities across Minnesota are taking a new look at involving volunteers to assist the city. One of the opportunities facing many cities in doing this, is how to engage the diversity of the city in volunteering. The Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA) interviewed volunteers who had immigrated to the United States to gain their insights on volunteering. This was done as part of the MAVA initiative on city volunteer engagement. From these interviews we gained insights on why people who moved here from another country might be interested in volunteering for a city, what makes for a good volunteer experience and suggestions for cities on involving new Americans as volunteers. This report shares key insights learned from the volunteers.