Bill looks to promote and support volunteerism in Minnesota

Volunteering can help people connect with their communities, develop skills, network, and discover what they love to do, Rep. Erin Koegel (DFL-Spring Lake Park) told the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Division Thursday.

HF263, sponsored by Koegel, would appropriate $500,000 in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 to the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administrators, allowing the organization to help groups around the state use best practices in volunteer programs to help volunteers benefit more from their participation, and to better help communities.

It was held over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill. Sen. Paul Utke (R-Park Rapids) sponsors a companion, SF606, which awaits action by the Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Finance and Policy Committee.

The funding would help the association promote innovation in the field of volunteerism through a grant program requiring a 100 percent funding match from local organizations. The appropriation would also allow the association to complete a statewide study of how volunteer efforts can be used to address community challenges, said Niila Hebert, an association board member and volunteer relations manager for the Girl Scouts of River Valleys.

Volunteering can be used to “fill gaps in solving community problems” and identify innovative solutions, she said.

Over the last two decades, Minnesota has lost “significant infrastructure to support and promote volunteerism,” and no state funds have directory gone to promoting civic involvement and skill-building through volunteering since 2002, Hebert said.