Bay Area Non-profit Among Nation's First to Be Certified for Outstanding Volunteer Program

Online, December 18, 2013 (Newswire.com) - The Shanti Project announces today that it was chosen to be one of the first U.S. non-profit organizations to be certified as a Service Enterprise. Shanti scored the highest of the 18 non-profit organizations assessed in the San Francisco Bay Area, with its volunteer time valued at $25.84 per hour and the total services provided to the community valued at $361,760 during the 2012-2013 fiscal year. The designation by CaliforniaVolunteers recognizes organizations that fundamentally leverage volunteers and their skills across all levels of the organization to deliver on a social mission.

Research conducted by the TCC Group demonstrates that nonprofits operating as Service Enterprises receive a 600 percent return on donor investment through more efficient program delivery. The research also shows that when an organization leverages volunteers and achieves an effective volunteer management model, not only do they lead and manage their organizations better, but they are also significantly more adaptable, sustainable and better resourced to do their work, and therefore able to sustainably go to scale.

The Shanti Project enhances the quality of life, health and well-being of people living with life-threatening illnesses, including Breast Cancer and HIV/AIDS, by providing compassionate practical and emotional support to more than 1,800 clients each year. The Shanti Project currently engages over 250 volunteers, who served over 14,000 hours throughout the 2012-2013 fiscal year. According to the Service Enterprise standard, that equates to $361,760 in services provided to the community.

"For the last 40 years, Shanti has been training 'ordinary people to do extraordinary things' to quote Shanti founder Charlie Garfield "We've trained over 15,000 individuals, and over 600 organizations worldwide," says Kaushik Roy, Executive Director of Shanti. "To be recognized at the forefront of the Service Enterprise movement, with this elite group of organizations, is an honor and validates the services our volunteers have been providing, and the work we've been executing. A Shanti volunteer often represents their sole source of support—the difference between having one compassionate advocate by their side, or no one at all."

"The CaliforniaVolunteers Service Enterprise Initiative diagnostic, delivered to over 80 organizations in California so far, has given us the opportunity to shine a light on organizations such as Shanti that are already operating a close to optimal volunteer practice and to certify them as Service Enterprise organizations. As well as simultaneously identifying nonprofits that may want to invest their resources into attaining this Service Enterprise status," says Jill Blackburn, Director of Programs at The Volunteer Center. "Not surprisingly, after administering the inaugural round of the Service Enterprise Diagnostic, The Shanti Project showed-up as a champion among champions at leveraging the time and talents of volunteers. As the Service Enterprise initiative rolls out to a national audience, we anticipate that Shanti will continue be at the top of the curve."

About The Shanti Project
Founded in 1974 by Dr. Charles Garfield, Shanti has been at the forefront of a growing national movement to enhance the quality of life for persons living with life-threatening or chronic illnesses by providing volunteer-based emotional and practical support. For more information, visit www.shanti.org.