From Ranks of Jobless, a Flood of Volunteers

“You try not to focus on the bitter side — you know, ‘I hated my company and I can’t believe what they did to me,’ ” Ms. Teisch said. “At least we have something to wake up to in the morning, rather than focusing on getting another job in this very difficult economy.”

Because the typical volunteer is still job-hunting on the side — Ms. Teisch, for example, said she was looking “aggressively” — some nonprofit executives are already bracing for when the economy picks up and the new army finds paid employment.