City Year

Martin Luther King Jr. said it best, “everybody can be great…because everybody can serve.” This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, a national holiday designed for individuals to be able to serve their communities.

Dr. King was a servant leader, and to this day continues to inspire countless individuals around the world to give back to their communities. He is remembered for accomplishing extraordinary things on behalf of people in need but more importantly, he leaves a legacy of encouraging others to find their greatness through service.

While January 17, 2011 is the day when thousands of people around the country will participate in service projects, we are most excited about the people that will be inspired to make service a priority year round.  And, to celebrate our friends and neighbors who have made an impact by quietly serving their communities every day, we’re excited to highlight these heroes on a series on CaseFoundation.org entitled “Why I Serve”. This post is a part of that series.

Interview with Evan Waldt of City Year, DC.

Evan Waldt grew up in rural Pennsylvania, he attended High School in Florida as well as attend classes at a Community College in Gainesville, Florida. In college Evan was a Model United Nations Outstanding Delegate, he has also worked in the restaurant business for over 10 years, and is an Eagle Scout. Currently, he is serving his second year with City Year Washington, DC. 

What made you want to become involved?

Why not serve?  I believe in national service and I come from a long line of veterans.   I knew I wanted to serve my country in some way.

Why did you decide to begin a second year of service with City Year?

I decided to do a second year of City Year because one year wasn't enough.  I made lasting friendships which drew me back to City Year. I wanted to ensure that young individuals would have a transformational year during their time with City Year, just like I did. 

Everyone’s lives are busy; what inspires you to make service a priority in your life?

I always tell myself: “If not me, then who?”  It has become a part of who I am. 

Are you participating in a service project on MLK day?  If so, what?

Yes. City Year Washington, DC will be engaging over 700 volunteers in painting and construction projects at: Anacostia High School, Kramer Middle School, Ketchum Elementary School, The House DC, and The Children’s Center. I am co-leading a team of corps members who have been planning and prepping this event for months – it’s going to be great!

Why do you think people should serve year round?

People should serve year round because hunger, illiteracy, and social injustice do not take time off, why should we?

Do you have any anecdotes that inspire you to serve that you’d like to share?

Last year, I taught the third graders I worked with something they did not know-Kickball. This is simple childhood rite of passage that I had the privileged to experience. The children learned sportsmanship, fair play, and discipline, but most importantly-humanity. The ability to let the youngest kick first, knowing that losing is ok, letting everyone get a turn and letting kids of all abilities play. For those 30 minutes twice a week, no inequality mattered; the world had purpose, the game was fair, and I had pride for each and every student.

Why do you serve?

I serve with City Year because if I wasn't serving I would not be in a such positive place. I struggled to get my bearing in the usual timeline of high school through college, and came to a crossroads at City Year. When I began my service, I didn't believe in City Year, but City Year believed in me. Not only have I developed as a person, a professional, and a friend, I have been afforded the opportunity to experience some amazing things.

This week I went to a City Year Award Dinner honoring Richard Stengel, the managing editor of TIME, who helped to put service on the map by writing a TIME cover story in 2007 called "The Case for National Service." Although he received the Lifetime of Idealism award, he suggested that idealism alone will not change the world. He insisted that idealism should be paired with pragmatism.

In the case of TIME, this pairing is demonstrated in their now annual issue that focuses on volunteerism, philanthropy and service. It's a popular issue for consumers and advertisers, so while it's a "good" thing to do, it's also a prudent business decision for the magazine. TIME isn't exactly a social enterprise, but this is a good example of how traditional businesses can make decisions that are motivated by both purpose and profit, and how those decisions can benefit everyone. When organizations are both idealistic and pragmatic, businesses, consumers and society at large can all win.

Also this week, I came across a great blog post by Colleen Dilenschneider that features a talk by Dan Pink on motivation. Dan found that, contrary to popular belief, piles of money don't actually drive people to perform better. Once people are paid enough that they don't need to worry about the money, the three most important factors which motivate people to produce creative, quality work are autonomy, mastery and the opportunity to make a contribution. In fact, this study found that when people are offered the highest reward (like a bonus of two-months salary), they performed the worst. It makes sense that people want independence and to rise to the challenge of being really, really good at something, but I'd like to focus on the third factor - making a contribution - because it reminded me of Richard Stengel's remarks.

Research shows that people care about the impact they are having on the world, but people also want to make a living. Dan says that when the profit motive becomes detached from the purpose motive, bad things happen - if not ethically, the quality of products and services suffer. When companies function with purpose, they attract better employees, who are excited to come to work. As Millennial social citizens continue to flood the job market, they are looking for this combination of idealism and pragmatism, and they will be looking for it in a way that engages them regularly in a meaningful way - not just as an annual day of service.

The culture of really successful organizations, both for-profit and nonprofit, seem to have successfully combined a sense of pragmatism and idealism. Great business leaders don't rally their teams around the idea of making as much money as possible; they talk about a higher calling that will change the world in some way. And, in turn, great nonprofits are using revenue-generating models that lend greater independence and sustainability. In both sectors, the organizations that are having significant impact, and that have employees and constituents that are thrilled to be a part of what they're doing, are the ones that maintain a balance between pragmatism and idealism.

Not all ventures can be nonprofits, or even true social ventures, but I think a lot of companies can make more strategic decisions about how they will interweave profit motives and purpose motives - the way TIME, AOL, Apple, Zappos and a growing list of organizations have. How can more organizations hitch their profit and purpose motives and balance idealism and pragmatism in a way that benefits all?