Special Project Literature Review and Introduction

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Volunteer Zip Code and ALICE Data Analysis: Equity in Volunteer Representation at Chatter Camp

Introduction

As part of my 2025 special project at Signal Centers’ Chatter Camp, I conducted a geographic and socioeconomic analysis of the summer volunteer pool using ZIP code data. Chatter Camp primarily serves children with communication and developmental needs, many of whom come from ALICE households, families that are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, yet Employed. This project examined how well our volunteers reflect the socioeconomic and demographic makeup of the communities we serve.

The analysis offered important insights into the accessibility of our volunteer program, the representation of underserved neighborhoods, and the equity of our outreach strategies. It also supports Signal Centers’ broader goals around inclusive engagement and anti-oppressive practice in program delivery.

Social Issues Addressed

Civic Engagement Disparities
Volunteerism is often more accessible to individuals with flexible schedules, reliable transportation, and discretionary income. In 2023, about 28.3% of Americans, approximately 75.7 million people, volunteered formally through organizations, up from 23.2% in 2021 but still below pre-pandemic levels. This shows that structural barriers such as work schedules, transportation, and economic constraints continue to limit participation for many marginalized groups, including those served by Chatter Camp.

Economic and Geographic Inequities
Volunteer participation at Chatter Camp was concentrated in higher income, suburban ZIP codes. By contrast, ALICE-designated areas, where many Chatter Camp families live, were entirely unrepresented. These areas make up over 40% of households in Hamilton County and are disproportionately impacted by economic hardship, yet were absent from the volunteer base.

Lack of Cultural and Disability Representation
Volunteer demographics did not reflect the racial, linguistic, or disability identities of the children served. This is consistent with national trends, as many nonprofits struggle to recruit a diverse volunteer pool that reflects the communities they serve, which can impact trust and program effectiveness.

Significance of the Issue
These disparities are significant because they affect the quality, accessibility, and cultural relevance of services. Without volunteers who share lived experiences or identities with participants, programs risk unintentionally reinforcing systemic inequities. Representation is particularly important in programs serving children with developmental and communication needs, where cultural and linguistic alignment can improve engagement and outcomes. The findings from this project align with national patterns and highlight the urgent need for intentional, equity-driven recruitment strategies that ensure volunteer programs truly reflect the communities they serve.

References

AmeriCorps. (2024, April 19). Volunteers came back to nonprofits in 2023, after the pandemic tanked participation. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/5d7e0ecb10410bc926ba15b8dab604ce

National Council on Nonprofits. (2022, August 11). Many nonprofits struggle to recruit a diverse volunteer force. The Chronicle of Philanthropy. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/many-nonprofits-struggle-to-recruit-a-diverse-volunteer-force

United For ALICE. (2023). ALICE in Tennessee: A financial

Methodology

Volunteer ZIP codes were collected manually from applications, attendance forms, and spreadsheets. ZIP codes included:

37421 (East Brainerd)
37377 (Signal Mountain)
37343 (Hixson)
37403 (Downtown/UTC)
38461 (Mount Pleasant)
37415 (Red Bank/North Chattanooga)

These were then cross-referenced with United Way of Tennessee’s 2022 ALICE report and U.S. Census data to determine each area’s economic profile, ALICE percentage, and demographic context. High-ALICE ZIP codes in Hamilton County, such as 37406, 37410, 37411, 37404, and 37407, were prioritized for comparison due to their socioeconomic vulnerability and relevance to the camper population.

Key Findings

Overrepresentation from Affluent ZIP Codes: The majority of volunteers came from areas with higher median incomes, greater car ownership, and low ALICE percentages. For example, Signal Mountain (37377) and Hixson (37343) are suburban communities with minimal economic distress.
Zero Representation from High-ALICE Neighborhoods: ZIP codes with the highest ALICE rates—including 37406, 37410, and 37411—were absent from our volunteer pool, despite these neighborhoods being home to many Chatter Camp families. These communities often experience concentrated poverty, transportation barriers, and lower access to digital recruitment platforms.
Demographic Misalignment: Our volunteer cohort was not racially, linguistically, or socioeconomically representative of the children and families served. Volunteers were predominantly white and middle-class, with limited lived experience of disability or economic hardship.
This disparity is especially concerning given that 39% of households in Hamilton County live below the ALICE threshold, with over 10,000 families with children experiencing rising economic instability in 2023 alone (United For ALICE, 2025). The complete absence of volunteers from the ZIP codes with the highest ALICE rates suggests systemic exclusion from civic life. Without intentional outreach and support, these inequities will continue to marginalize those most directly affected by the program’s mission.

Insights and Applications

This analysis brought attention to both visible and invisible barriers to volunteerism and informed our approach to inclusive engagement. Several strategic insights emerged:

Equity gaps exist between those receiving services and those providing them, revealing a need for more representative recruitment efforts.
Volunteer engagement strategies should be tailored to reduce access barriers in underserved ZIP codes, especially around transportation, language, and digital platforms.
Representation matters: Volunteers who share similar life experiences with campers may offer deeper empathy, cultural connection, and more trauma-informed support.
Data-informed planning strengthens our ability to set realistic and measurable goals around ADEI in volunteer engagement.

This project laid the groundwork for future organizational changes and broader institutional dialogue around inclusion, belonging, and access in volunteer programming.

Mission Statement

To foster a more inclusive, accessible, and representative volunteer program at Chatter Camp by identifying barriers to engagement and advancing equitable outreach strategies that reflect the socioeconomic and cultural diversity of the families we serve.

Project Goals:

Identify Gaps
Analyze volunteer ZIP code data in conjunction with ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) demographics to uncover disparities in engagement and representation. Map volunteer residences against service areas to highlight underrepresented neighborhoods, particularly those experiencing higher rates of economic hardship. Use these insights to understand how geographic and economic inequities affect Signal Centers’ ability to recruit a volunteer base that reflects the communities it serves.

Promote Equity
Increase awareness of the systemic barriers such as limited outreach and recruitment methods that reduce volunteer participation from high ALICE communities. Share these findings internally and externally to foster dialogue on creating more inclusive and accessible volunteer opportunities.

Inform Practice
Develop data-informed recommendations to enhance inclusive recruitment and volunteer support strategies at Signal Centers. This may include targeted outreach campaigns, partnerships with community organizations in high ALICE areas, and adjustments to scheduling or role design to accommodate a wider range of participants.

Advance ADEI
Align all recommendations with Signal Centers’ organizational goals for advancing Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI). Use the findings to not only improve volunteer recruitment and retention but also to strengthen civic participation, build community trust, and ensure that program delivery reflects the diversity and needs of the populations served.

Theoretical Frameworks Used

Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner): Contextualized volunteer participation as a product of individual and systemic interactions, including transportation policy, economic status, and community infrastructure.
Anti-Oppressive Practice (AOP): Challenged assumptions about equal access to volunteer opportunities and highlighted systemic disparities.
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): Recognized that volunteerism is shaped by the same structural factors that influence health, such as income, education, and neighborhood resources.
Cultural Humility and Intersectionality: Acknowledged that lived experience, identity, and privilege intersect to shape how individuals interact with service systems, both as recipients and providers.

Outcomes and Organizational Impact

Increased awareness among staff about representation gaps in volunteer participation.
Baseline data established for future evaluation of outreach and engagement practices.
Organizational momentum generated toward setting ADEI benchmarks and recruiting volunteers from more diverse communities.
Strengthened alignment between volunteer practices and Chatter Camp’s trauma-informed, family-centered mission.

This project added value not only as a point-in-time assessment but also as a strategic tool for future planning and inclusion initiatives.

Feedback and Recognition

I shared the findings from this project with my practicum supervisor as part of ongoing discussions about equity and volunteer engagement. Volunteer participation was recognized and celebrated at the July 18, 2025 Volunteer Appreciation Event. This event served as an opportunity to honor the time and energy volunteers contributed to Chatter Camp and to reflect on ways to strengthen outreach and inclusion moving forward.

Unexpected Outcomes and Personal Growth

This project deepened my commitment to data-driven social work and opened my eyes to how often well-meaning systems unintentionally exclude the very people they aim to serve. I strengthened my skills in research, assessment, and strategic planning, and gained confidence in using my voice to advocate for change within organizational structures. It reminded me that small data sets, when analyzed thoughtfully, can yield powerful insights and promote equity in meaningful, tangible ways.

CSWE Competency Integration

Competency 1: Ethical and Professional Behavior
I maintained professionalism and used ethical decision-making while collecting, analyzing, and presenting volunteer data to staff. I upheld transparency and integrity throughout the process.
Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
I assessed how race, income, language, and ability affected volunteer participation and considered how systemic barriers excluded certain groups from being represented.
Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
I identified unequal access to volunteer opportunities and used data to advocate for greater inclusion of underrepresented communities.
Competency 4: Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice
I applied ALICE data, Census statistics, and ZIP code mapping to inform a deeper understanding of our volunteer base and to support strategic planning.
Competency 6: Engage with Organizations and Communities
I collaborated with staff and internal stakeholders to review findings and explore ways to strengthen outreach and build relationships with underserved communities.
Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
I completed a community-level assessment of volunteer representation to identify misalignments with the camper population and potential outreach improvements.
Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
I conducted a self-directed intervention by analyzing volunteer ZIP code and ALICE data to assess equity and representation within Chatter Camp’s volunteer program. I applied this analysis to strengthen my ability to identify structural barriers and design inclusive engagement strategies. Grounded in anti-oppressive practice and strengths-based theory, this work deepened my commitment to equity-focused interventions, even when pursued independently, and prepared me to apply similar approaches in future professional settings.
Competency 9: Evaluate Practice
I evaluated current recruitment practices through an equity lens and offered data-informed strategies to improve representation in volunteer engagement.

Limitations and Areas for Improvement

While this project provided meaningful insights into volunteer representation, it had several limitations. First, the analysis relied on a relatively small and self-reported dataset, primarily drawn from application forms and attendance records. This limited the precision of demographic comparisons and made it difficult to assess trends over time. Second, the study did not include direct feedback from volunteers or potential volunteers in high-ALICE areas, which could have offered richer, firsthand perspectives on barriers to participation.

Additionally, ZIP code analysis alone cannot fully capture cultural identity, language, disability status, or lived experience, all of which are critical to understanding representation and inclusion. A more comprehensive demographic survey, combined with focus groups or interviews, would have strengthened the analysis and provided clearer pathways for programmatic response.

Moving forward, future evaluations should include more robust data collection, active community input, and collaboration with local organizations embedded in underserved neighborhoods to co-design recruitment and retention strategies.

References

United For ALICE. (2023). Tennessee: ALICE in the crosscurrents. United Way of Tennessee. https://www.unitedforalice.org/tennessee

U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). Explore census data. https://data.census.gov

Zipdatamaps. (2023). 37415 ZIP code demographics. https://www.zipdatamaps.com/37415

Literature Review: Preparing Volunteers to Support Children with Communication and Developmental Needs at Chatter Camp

My special project focuses on preparing volunteers at Chatter Camp to support children who are nonverbal or have significant developmental and communication needs. Many of these children have experienced adversity or trauma, and most of our volunteers are new to working with this population. This project aims to provide volunteers with a foundational understanding of trauma, inclusive communication, and supportive relationship-building. The following sources offer valuable insights that inform the key elements of this initiative.

Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Children with disabilities are at a heightened risk for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasizes that ACEs can have long-term negative impacts on health, opportunity, and well-being. Most people have at least one or two Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and this isn’t limited to children who are nonverbal or partially verbal. However, understanding ACEs can provide important context for how we interact with Chatter Camp attendees. Recognizing the prevalence and effects of ACEs is crucial for volunteers to create a safe and supportive environment for campers. By understanding the potential backgrounds of the children they support, volunteers can approach their roles with increased empathy and awareness. (https://www.cdc.gov/aces/about/index.html)

Supporting Communication Through AAC

Many campers at Chatter Camp use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods, such as speech-generating devices, picture boards, or gestures, to express themselves. The National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities has updated the Communication Bill of Rights to affirm that all individuals have the right to affect, through communication, the conditions of their existence. This includes the right to be treated with dignity and respect, to have access to their preferred communication methods, and to be understood by others. Volunteers must recognize and honor these rights, ensuring that every camper’s communication efforts are acknowledged and supported. (https://www.nationaldb.org/updates/communication-bill-of-rights-update/)

Building Resilience in Children with Developmental Disabilities

Children with developmental disabilities often face unique challenges that can impact their emotional well-being. Building resilience in these children is essential for their ability to cope with stress and adapt to new situations. Strategies such as creating supportive environments, teaching emotion recognition and regulation, and fostering problem-solving skills can significantly enhance resilience. By equipping volunteers with these strategies, the project aims to empower them to support campers in building the skills necessary to navigate challenges and thrive. (https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/development/social-emotional-development/resilience-autistic-children-teenagers)