Volunteerism as a community response to public acts of violence: Case studies of the Oklahoma City bombing and the Tucson, Arizona mass shooting

The viability and growth of nonprofit organizations is linked to social capital; however, in his book, Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community, Robert Putnam asserted that civic engagement was on the decline since the 1970s, having peaked during the time of the World War II generation (2000). In his final analysis, Putnam pondered if a tragic event such as a war or depression would be a catalyst for resurgence in civic engagement. Recent tragic events have caused journalists, bloggers, and elected officials to encourage citizens to respond to these events through civic engagement, specifically volunteerism. Volunteerism is one element Putnam studied and published. Following 9/11, surveys indicated an immediate rise in volunteerism. Before the attack and since, two other non-natural disaster events occurred which prompted the government and others to call on citizens to unite and volunteer: the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, April 19, 1995, which killed 168 people and injured 850; and the recent shooting in Tucson, Arizona of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and eighteen others at an open political meeting in which six victims died. This research aims to review the data on volunteerism collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics between 2001 and 2011 to look more closely at volunteerism in Oklahoma City and Tucson. Key leaders in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Tucson, Arizona, were interviewed to gather information on leadership in the nonprofit sector following the two events. The research will focus on the following two questions: Does a tragic event of public violence increase civic engagement, specifically in volunteerism? Do nonprofit leaders play a key role in building social capital through volunteerism and collaboration following a tragic event in their community?;In an attempt to answer these questions, the research will also examine the current literature on the social motivations behind volunteerism; the impact on the nonprofit community; and the role leaders of nonprofits can play to recruit and retain volunteers following a crisis.