VOLUNTAS: The Center of Creative Community, works to strengthen volunteerism by stimulating research, dialogue, and thoughtful exploration among advanced practitioners and grassroots leaders in the field. Our programs are designed to promote personal and professional growth among practitioners and to expand the knowledge and experience base of volunteerism. Activities are guided by three principal goals.

1. THE CENTER SEEKS TO NURTURE DREAMS. This means challenging people to question and to re-define basic assumptions and to go on from there to build new, expansive visions of what volunteering can and should be. The goal is to help people to become PRATICAL DREAMERS – to see volunteerism as a powerful, innovative means of solving community problems, and as one of the highest expressions of what it means to be human.
2. THE CENTER SEEKS TO MAKE VOLUNTEERING MORE ACCESSIBLE TO GREATER NUMBERS OR PEOPLE. To volunteer is to CHOOSE to do something for and in concert with, other human beings. The Center seeks to free people from economic, psychological, social, and other barriers that may prevent them from realizing their full potential as volunteers. Social and economic structures and support systems need to be developed that allow and encourage greater numbers of people to serve their communities, their neighbors, and themselves as volunteers. The Center encourages the development of both traditional and nontraditional forms of volunteerism. We are particularly interested in individuals and groups who are able to accomplish seemingly miraculous feats with no institutional affiliation or support.
3. THE CENTER ENCOURAGES THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE MODES FOR ORGANIZATION OR VOLUNTEERISM. Volunteers, whether organized or not, are ultimately accountable to the people whom they serve. Hierarchical organizational structures based on standard corporate and bureaucratic models may not always be appropriate for volunteer efforts -–particularly for grassroots, community-based or entirely volunteer groups. The Center encourages volunteer leaders to identify and use organizational approaches that are consistent with the goals and values of particular volunteer programs and projects. We further seek to free people from exclusive dependence on formal institutions for initiative, guidance, and resources.

In summary, the purpose of VOLUNTAS: The Center of Creative Community is to stimulate creative, expansive, and practical dreaming about volunteerism, and in so doing to help people and societies use their individual and collective strengths to build a better, more humane world.

The Center for Creative Community, later called "VOLUNTAS" Certificate of Incorporation 1322312 with NM State Corporation Commission, August 14, 1986.

VOLUNTAS accomplishes its work almost entirely via volunteer staff, board, and networks. Current resources and activities include:

The MADRID New Mexico Residence, for volunteer-oriented people who wish to renew their energies, get back in touch with their basic values and assumptions, put fresh on their dreams, and enjoy even more fulfillment in a life of service.

CHALLENGE think tanks/reflection pools, designed to look long and deeply at underlying values and assumptions, to go beyond the "how" to the "why?" and beyond the "why" to the "why not?"

A WORKSHOP REPERTOIRE which includes futuring, creative thinking, empowerment of the career in leadership of volunteers, development of support systems, and "new basics." In 1994, we will inaugurate a new Personalized Seminar series (more detail in a separate flyer).

OUR PLUBLICATION (see separate flyer) generally synchronize with our workshop repertoire in exploring frontiers of voluntary spirit.

THE HARRIER NAYLOR MEMORIAL COLLECTION ON VOLUNTEERISM, at Madrid, is believed to be the largest library of its kind in the world.

MODEL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, acquiring, analyzing and evaluating experience in emerging areas of volunteerism. Current concentration is on relatively neglected areas which promise wider accessibility to people participation, e.g. the entirely volunteer group and the independent, freelance volunteer. We also facilitate a project to develop new career tracks for directors/coordinators of volunteers.