The inclination to provide financial support rather than direct volunteer service may partially reflect the changing demographics of American society. Given the work and family responsibilities that most Americans juggle in their daily lives, economic and other interests may be crowding out personal involvement in local affairs. Facing time constraints, D.C.-area residents may feel that providing funds to congregations is the best they can do. This idea has important policy implications if communities expect to rely more heavily on their voluntary infrastructures to address local problems. Many unanswered questions remain for those proposing an expanded role for congregations in meeting community needs.
Organizational capacity is linked to citizen involvement.
Our survey results suggest that expectations about the capacity of religious congregations to do more for their communities must be tempered with the realities of how local residents relate to these institutional structures. About the Author Eric C. Twombly is a research associate at the Urban Institute, where he is studying the spatial dimensions of nonprofit organizations in the District of Columbia and their implications for service delivery programs. He is currently a doctoral candidate in public policy at George Washington University. Carol J. De Vita is a senior research associate at the Urban Institute. She oversees CNP s work on faith-based organizations and is developing a study of nonprofit organizations in an era of welfare reform.