Latino Culture and
Volunteerism
Frida Bonaparte
Cross Cultural Communicator
Mississippi State University
Dr. Andrew Behnke
Professor and Extension Specialist
North Carolina State University
Cintia Aguilar
Extension Latino Affairs Facilitator
North Carolina State University
Why Diversify the Volunteer
Base?
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Enrich organizations
Services are more culturally
appropriate
Bring diverse viewpoints
Redesign its approach to
volunteer recruitment
Consider cultural context
Diversifying the Volunteer
Base
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Involve the entire family
Latino youth volunteers
Latino 4-H adult volunteers
Latino Homemaker/FCS
volunteers
Motivations for Volunteering
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A desire to help their community
An opportunity to learn skills,
gain experience, and get better
professional jobs
A chance to meet new people
and to be personally challenged
A way to share their cultural
traditions with youth or with
members of the community.
Volunteerism: True or False
Everybody can be great
because anybody can serve.
You don't have to have a
college degree to serve. You
don't have to make your subject
and your verb agree to serve.
You only need a heart full of
grace, a soul generated by love.
--Martin Luther King Jr.
Characteristics of
Volunteerism within the
Latino Culture
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When reaching out to new
audiences, we must take the time
to fully understand the dynamics
involved.
We got to know them. We learned
how they learned and what they
valued.
We introduced these educational
innovations by building a
relationship with the clientele and
earning their trust
Characteristics of
Volunteerism within the
Latino Culture
 Informal volunteerism system.
Culture of “doing favors.”
 For many of the immigrants
coming to the United States,
volunteering is not part of their
history.
 Latinos do not volunteer in the
traditional American pattern.
(B. Hobbs, Extension specialist, Oregon State University)
Characteristics of
Volunteerism within the
Latino Culture
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Helping others is second nature
to Latinos. It isn’t viewed as
something you do at a particular
time, for a particular group.
For many of the Latino
immigrants, volunteering refers
to activities carried out by the
wealthy on behalf of the poor.
Strategies to Recruit Latino
Volunteers
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Build a relationship and
establish trust with the Latino
community.
Establish a presence in the
Latino community.
Recruiting Latinos as volunteers
needs to be done on a one-toone basis.
Strategies to Recruit Latino
Volunteers
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Attend Latino events in your
community, such as festivals
and soccer tournaments.
Contact people personally,
rather than relying only on
written communication.
Strategies to Recruit Latino
Volunteers
 Introduce your organization’s
mission and goals and how they
apply and benefit the Latino
community.
 How they can volunteer.
 Emphasize the idea that anybody
can be a volunteer regardless of
his or her gender, age, religion,
race, economic, and educational
level.
Strategies to Recruit Latino
Volunteers
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Invite them to work within a
diverse work committee or group.
Be sure that they have somebody
they already trust in the group.
Make reminder calls. This helps
not only to remind them of their
task or meeting but also to build a
relationship.
Recognition of their work must be
designed within the cultural
context.
Any Questions?
Feel free to email us for more
information or a copy of
these slides
¡ Gracias y
Buena Suerte!