Page 50 - 2021 Westchester County Economic Development Guide
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                                Non-Profits
Taking Positive Action
Westchester’s thriving social entrepreneurship sector is fostering a culture of service and making a positive impact on the County’s collective quality of life.
 Westchester Forward
  Volunteer New York!’s core mission is to inspire, mobilize, and equip individuals and groups to take positive action to address pressing challenges, support non-profits, and strengthen the quality of life in our community. Here, Jeanette Gisbert, MPA, Executive Director of Volunteer New York!, talks about the surprising impact of COVID-19 on volunteerism in the county.
Talk about Volunteer New York!
We harness people power. We are in our 70th year and our mission is to connect volunteers with fellow non-profits meeting critical needs. We encourage adults to serve, youth to build character, families to bond, young professionals to lead, mature adults to share their wisdom, and businesses to support our community. Last year, we inspired more than 35,000 volunteers who helped contribute over 360,000 hours of service to 500 local non-profits at a value of over $11.7 million.
How did COVID impact you?
Like so many other organizations, we had to reimagine how to operationalize our mission. But one thing became very clear. Even though we had to postpone or cancel live events, we’ve seen that
community has not been cancelled. It’s not whether people help, but how.
In what ways did you pivot your operations?
We launched a virtual volunteer center which has volunteer opportunities in the area. It has a curated list of things people can do safely or remotely from home. From March to July of 2020, we saw over a 100 percent increase in individuals who raised their hands to take action.
Is that surprising?
This response is actually very similar to other disasters. Once people are sure that they and their families are safe, an innate desire kicks in to help and support their community.
What’s the outlook for volunteering
in 2021?
The international non-profit, Points of Light, released a survey on the state of civic engagement. It found that 2 in 5 people plan to do more after the pandemic. The power of people will help rebuild communities, and we’re here to help.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE,
CHANGING LIVES
Employing nearly 54,000 people, Westchester County’s non-profit sector is the County’s largest employer. This diverse group of 5,000 organizations of varying sizes – such as the Feeding Westchester, March of Dimes and Greyston Bakery – provide arts, education, healthcare, environmental, housing and other services for children and adults.
    SINCE 2011, WESTCHESTER NON-PROFITS:
• Generated nearly $6.9 billion in revenues.
• Spent nearly $6.6 billion.
• Held over $8.4 billion in
total assets.
Source: Non-Profit Westchester
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WESTCHESTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE
Top: Volunteers helping with the COVID-19 vaccination process in the County
Left: Volunteer NY!’s 10th Annual 9/11 Serve
and Remember event, which included a Healthy Food Drive that supported 11 local food pantries.
    © Volunteer New York!
© Volunteer New York!


































































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