The Nonprofit Squeeze

The good news is that volunteers are stepping forward as never before. For instance, applications through the AmeriCorps online system for volunteer service in February were up 208% compared with the same month last year. Multiple trends help explain the rush to volunteer. President Barack Obama has made community service a central issue. Baby boomers are hitting retirement age in record numbers, with many looking to make good on the idealism of their youth. Yet it's folks who have always given money but no longer feel financially secure enough to do so who may offer the clearest explanation. Some 4.4 million jobs--including a heart-stopping 651,000 in February alone--have been lost since the downturn began. Plunging stock and real estate values have led the way, with Americans losing more than $11 trillion in wealth last year.