Click here for a printer-friendly version of this article.
Volunteerism in Mexico

by Francisco J. Morales Camarena,
reprinted with permission

Important cultural and historic patterns need to be to understood, not only Mexican philanthropy, but also the nature of the volunteering in Mexico. Mexico has a community engagement and an informal volunteering tradition. The Catholic Church and the government have had a strong role in the development of the welfare system, the voluntary sector, and volunteering. The voluntary sector is small, but volunteerism through out voluntary organizations' formal programs has arisen in the last few decades. The Mexican volunteer is satisfied with his or her labor, and has a positive attitude toward volunteerism and relevant social networks. Although volunteering has made significant achievements in Mexico, there are important institutional challenges to the voluntary sector and the government in the country.

Return to top

Philanthropy, the Voluntary Sector, and Volunteerism in Mexico

Community Engagement and Volunteerism

Before Spain conquered Mexico, the rulers in many communities had the obligation of looking after the members of the community and people carried out activities in benefit to the collective. Indeed, there are testimonies of the social cooperation in situations of survival, emergency, and natural disasters. Also, the elderly, widows, orphans, and invalids were supported by the community.1 These philanthropic actions are similar in other countries from Latin America, where philanthropy "has historically been more developed in poor communities, rural and urban, than among the wealthy. (…) [This implies] more than giving money -as does philanthropy. The meaning [encompasses] mutual self-help and community action for the good of the whole".2

Although in Mexico people are also involved as volunteers in the nonprofit organizations like the United States, they are principally informal volunteers: "Volunteering in Mexico and Latin America, does not take after the Tocquevillean tradition and is not considered part of the formal culture. Although the volunteer action is present, it occurs many times in [an] informal setting and remains unaccounted for. It takes the form of communitarian participation, especially among the indigenous population. Similar actions by other social groups are still considered a part of a moral and religious obligation, not expressed as membership in an established voluntary organization".3

Return to top

The Catholic Church and Volunteerism

In Mexico, the Catholic Church has been one of the most important philanthropic institutions since the Colony Age (1512-1810 A.D.). In this stage, a relevant welfare system under the Christian charity precepts was built. The Church created charitable organizations, social programs, and sponsored institutions such as hospitals, housing, asylums, and schools. Some of these institutions still exist today such as the first hospital for indigenous people, founded by Hernán Cortés, today known as the Hospital of Jesus.

Groups of volunteers flourished with the support of the Church, like the "Asociación de las Señoras de la Caridad" (Ladies of Charity), one the largest female organization in the 19th century. Indeed, the women counted over 12,000 active and honorary members in 1868: "lay women carried out individual acts of face to face charity ad attempted to spread the Catholic faith. When they visited prisoners, hospital patients, and indigent families, the Society's members prayed with them, ascertained that the children were confirmed (…) On weekly visit to 'their' adopted families the visitor took rosaries, but also food, clothes, bed linens, cigarettes (at the time considered a necessity), and rent money."4

During the 19th century, Mexico had a long conflict between the Catholic Church and the Government. "In 1861 a liberal Government nationalized the holdings of the Church, and acquired with it the responsibility of providing social programs"5 . Then, the Public Welfare Agency was created.

Although the presence of the Catholic Church is not as strong as it once was, it still continues participate in philanthropic activities. The religious associations sponsor institutions like schools, asylums, shelters, and hospitals, and support voluntary organizations with religious origin. In religious institutions and organizations, volunteers carry out different activities.

Return to top

Government and Volunteerism

After the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), the government assumed an active role in promoting the creation of institutions and programs in favor of the poor and vulnerable social groups, especially children and family. The Mexican Post-Revolutionary State was built around a corporative political system with one predominant party, the "Partido Revolucionario Institucional" (Institutional Revolutionary Party), and a paternalistic culture with a weak voluntary sector.

The relationship between civil society and the government has been one of both conflict and collaboration. Where government, on one hand, used forms of mediation such as integration, clientelism, cooptation, or repression towards social movements and social organizations; on the other hand, the government has supported mainly philanthropic organizations that collaborated with its programs.

The government has designed and implemented policies for health, education, welfare, housing, and rural development. Indeed, the government has been the principal force behind delivering social services and has incorporated groups of volunteers in tasks of welfare, health, education, and community development. For example, in 1943 the Volunteers Association of Infant Hospital of Mexico was founded. The National Voluntary Social Service Association of the public institution that delivers the social security services to the federal bureaucracy. In the late 30's, the Student House was established by the government to facilitate student participation in social services activities.6 Also, in Mexico college students are required to perform 480 hours of social service to graduate since 1945.

The government has created welfare agencies to promote volunteering with the presence and leadership of the First Lady of the country. In 1977, the National Patronage of Voluntary Promoters was constituted with the purpose of promoting and stimulating individuals' activities committed for social benefit. During the first twelve years of the National Patronage of Voluntary Promoters, 31 state patronages (one for each Mexican states) and 121 units of volunteering promotion were established, with the collaboration of the federal government, private sector, and volunteers of the voluntary sector. Also, the National Patronage developed a significant labor of training for the volunteers. At the end of 1993, the National Volunteering supported to 17,104 communities around the country, and more than 180,000 individuals participated in its tasks.7

In 1995, the volunteering promoted and sponsored by the government was canceled; the President Ernesto Zedillo suppressed the National Patronage of Voluntary Promoters. However, volunteers groups have been working in some official government agencies, and they collaborate with public organizations in social services and health care activities.8

Return to top

Voluntary Sector and Volunteerism

Since the late 60's, Mexico has undergone significant social and political transition. After social movements led by group such as railroad workers of 1958, the teachers of 1962, the doctors of 1964, and the student movement of 1968, social urban and popular movements, independent workers unions and peasant organizations, autonomous social organizations, and left political parties flourished in the country. These movements and individuals could not be coopted or repressed by the government.

The political system began a process of liberalization, democratic electoral changes, and major freedom of association. In the early 80's, a boom of civil society organizations formed a new generation of nonprofit organizations that not only participate in welfare activities and community development, but also they have advocated non-traditional spheres like human rights, environmental protection, women's rights, popular education, and legal electoral processes. Moreover, the Mexican voluntary sector (nonprofit sector, independent sector or third sector are synonyms) has been constituted of grantmaking organizations and community foundations such as Vamos Foundation, Fundación del Empresariado Chihuahense, the Oaxaca, Cozumel, and Guanajuato Foundations. Also, the Mexican Center for the Philanthropy (CEMEFI) has promoted the corporate social responsibility and culture philanthropic in Mexico. In addition, the large Mexican nonprofit organizations have favorable relationships with grant-makers from the United States and Europe.

The voluntary sector has confronted the restrictive fiscal laws for development of social organizations. Social organizations established alliances to face the fiscal trouble, so that in May of 1990, the "Organizing Commission of the Front of Civil Associations of the Mexican Republic" was formed. The social organizations struggled for new legislation, and in August of 1990 "Convergence of Civil Organizations for the Democracy" (150 representatives of 120 social organizations) was born, and advocated in promoting a fair fiscal regulation.9

One coalition of social organizations developed a law project that established the bases of their relationship with the government, recognized the character of institutions of public interests, and included tax exemptions and other incentives to favor social organizations that carry out activities in benefit of third parties. The team that began the work was formed by the following groups: Convergence of Civil Organisms for the Democracy; Mexican Center for the Philanthropy; Forum of Mutual Support; and Foundation Miguel Alemán. In 1995, these organizations gave a proposal called "Law of Promotion of Social Development Activities" to the Camera of Deputies, which served as basis of elaboration on different initiatives. A congressional bill the "Federal Law of Development to the Activities Carried Out by Organizations of the Civil Society" has been proposed, but it has not approved.

The Mexican voluntary sector is plural and heterogeneous, and the volunteers participate in traditional charitable organizations as well as in this new generation of social organizations. Volunteer jobs are diverse. For example, there are volunteers who visit sick people at hospitals, support young people, or take care of children and elderly people in shelters, and there are volunteer advisors on the boards of nonprofit organizations.

During natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes, Mexican volunteers make a relevant contribution in giving resources and time. However, the volunteerism in formal programs is low: "The people are very willing to help, but lack the initiative to pursue their own volunteer activities. This, combined with the fact that many organizations do no have formal volunteer programs or do no know how to effectively capitalize on the time and skills offered by volunteers, creates a significant bottleneck in placing people with institutions".10

One of the most traditional nonprofit organizations with a relevant volunteer program is the Mexican Red Cross, founded in 1910. Nowadays, the Red Cross has 440 delegations around the country, and its website includes a section on volunteering with the volunteer application process online.11

The Mexican Center for the Philanthropy (CEMEFI), founded in 1988, has been developing professional volunteerism in the country. CEMEFI is an umbrella organization whose mission is "to promote a philanthropic culture in Mexico, and to strengthen the organized participation of society in its integral development and in the solution of community programs".12 The CEMEFI program, "Mira por los demas" encourages individuals to dedicate one hour per week to a volunteer activity; in 2002, more than 60,000 people participated. At this time, the CEMEFI volunteering program, "Haces Falta" has a website13, and one of the next CEMEFI strategies' is increase the voluntary work and measure its impact.

CEMEFI supported the 1994 creation of the Mexican Association of Volunteering, an organization with the goal to strengthen volunteerism in Mexico. CEMEFI also supports the professionalization and training of organizations and volunteers. Since 2001, the Mexican Association of Volunteering with the collaboration of the federal government, the Mexican Center for the Philanthropy, the Mexican Red Cross, Caritas Mexico, and International Rotary has promoted the creation from the National Prize to the Volunteer, an initiative of the civil society to recognize the work of the volunteers in the country.14

Return to top

The Dimensions of Mexican Volunteerism

Size of Mexican volunteerism

In Mexico, like other countries, "[data] on volunteering is not regularly collected by the government, as is employment data. Although there is growing evidence of the contributions volunteers make to communities and society, there are few regular studies to document such assertions".15 Also, since there are different figures about the size of the Mexican nonprofit sector, it is impossible to certify how many nonprofit organizations and volunteers there are in Mexico. Indeed, there is no official consensus.

In 1995, according to the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project, "Not only is the Mexican nonprofit sector small in relation to the overall Mexican economy, but also it is small relative to its counterparts elsewhere in Latin America and the rest of the world".16 The data source used for the Mexican case was the 1993 National Economic Census; the most important findings of the project are:

  • The Mexican nonprofit sector had operating expenditures of 0.5% of the country's gross domestic product. Mexican nonprofit organizations contribute to 0.4% of total nonagricultural employment, whereas the international average is 4.8%.

  • Although the volunteering cannot be captured in its full scope, 10% of the Mexican population reports contributing their time to nonprofit organizations. If volunteers are included as additional employees, the nonprofit sector share of total employment increases from 0.4% to 0.7%, almost double.

A comparative study of the values of volunteering that includes Mexico was published this year, the data source is The European Values Surveys (EVS) and The World Values Surveys 1999-2000 (WVS), which contained some questions on membership in organizations and volunteering. One of the most important finding is that

  • The ratio of volunteers as a percentage of the adult population in Mexico is 36%, higher than countries from Eastern Europe such as Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania with 12%, and some of Western Europe like France with 23% or Italy with 25%. But it is lower than Anglo countries, for example, in the United States the figure is 66%, and in Canada it is 47%.17

Return to top

Where Mexicans Volunteer

According to the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project, the composition of the Mexican nonprofit by sector shows that the majority of the employment in the nonprofit sector belongs to education organizations, professional groups, and trade associations. The nonprofit organizations involved in social services, health services, and recreational activity generate few sources of employment; jobs in the field of advocacy, environment, and development are minuscule. However, the pattern shifts with volunteers' participation, because the volunteers have significant participation in sectors such as civic advocacy, development, environment, and social services.18

The comparative study of the values of volunteering identifies that in Mexico the majority of volunteers working in religious organizations. In the second place, volunteers participate in the social welfare field, and next in sports activities. The lowest Mexican volunteer participation is in environmental activities. In Anglo countries, like Great Britain, Canada, and the United States, the highest rate is found in social welfare, but the United States and Canada also show significant participation in religious institutions. The European ex-communist countries have more volunteering done in areas of sports and recreation.

When the characteristics of volunteers versus people that do not volunteer are compared, in Mexico as well as the majority of the countries, "[in] general, volunteers are likely to attend religious services more frequently, be members of associations, have more dense social networks and discuss politics more frequently than non-volunteers".19

Return to top

Volunteers in the "Valle de México"

The Mexican Volunteers Association sponsored a volunteering survey in the "Valle de México" (Mexico City and its metropolitan area with a population of approximately 18.65 million) in 2003. The principal findings are:

  1. In 2002 almost two millions people were volunteers; the proportion of volunteers as percentage of the adult population is 16.6%. They work an average of six hours per week (5.8 hours). According to the age, the major number of volunteers is between people from 40 to 49 years old with 26%. There is not a relevant difference by sex, but female participation is slightly higher. Both divorced (33%) and married people (22%) are volunteers more often than single people. 25% of volunteers work alone and 24% with their families.20 Volunteers belong to lower-middle-class and middle-class socioeconomic groups. Unemployed people are unlikely to volunteer.

  2. With respect to volunteer motivation and recognition, 70% of volunteers are very satisfied with the work they have done; however, 38% of the volunteers do not receive any recognition for their actions. Many motivations are expressed by volunteers, but the most common are the wish to help others (94%), because the volunteer enjoys his or her activity (83%), and because someone asked them (60%).

  3. The majority of volunteers worked in human services, health services, and individual or informal helping. To a lesser extent, volunteers participated in neighborhood and civic activity, religious associations, educational organizations, and recreational activities. Volunteers are least involved with politics, government, and the arts.

Return to top

Achievements and Challenges of Mexican Volunteerism

Achievements

  • Although the Mexican voluntary sector is small, volunteer action and a supportive attitude are present in Mexican society with a tradition of community engagement and self-help outside of formal organizations.

  • A new generation of the Mexican voluntary sector has arisen independent of the Catholic Church and the government, promoting the professionalization of the sector. This new sector has developed and strengthened grantmaking organizations, community foundations, increased corporate social responsibility and involvement in volunteering.

  • In general, the Mexican volunteer is

    • satisfied with his or her labor,
    • works almost 6 hours per week,
    • has a positive attitude, and
    • has significant social networks.
    However, the "Valle de México" survey identified that the majority of the volunteers do not receive recognition. The Mexican volunteer is an excellent resource, but needs good training, support, and recognition of his or her contributions.

    • Challenges

    • Both the Mexican voluntary sector and Mexican government should build better institutional structures, legal framework, and policies with the purpose of promoting volunteering in the country. "Civic engagement fluctuates mostly because opportunities and incentive structures fluctuate, not because notions about the intrinsic worth of participants do. (…) Volunteering will be more common and widespread in countries with more developed nonprofit organizational structures because such structures are instrumental in recruiting and maintaining volunteer participation."21

    • The Mexican voluntary sector should not only improve professionalism in volunteer management programs, but also work in professionalization of all management and operation processes.

    • The government needs to design and implement polices to encourage volunteerism in public organizations and in volunteer organizations. Also, legal reforms should promote resources for social organizations that work for benefits of third parts such as tax incentives, public funds, and other administrative support.

    • Finally, additional conceptual and empirical research about Mexican volunteering is necessary, generating useful knowledge to develop Mexican voluntary action in thousands of professional volunteer programs around the country.

    Return to top

    Related websites:

    Return to top

    Endnotes
    1. Teresa de la Luz Becerra and Rosamaría Berlanga. Voluntariado en México. México, D.F. Noriega, 2003. pp. 14-15
    2. Peggy Dulany. "Giving and Volunteering in Latin America". In Re Vista-Giving and Volunteering in the Americas. Harvard Review of Latin America. Spring 2002. Available http://www.fas.harvard.edu/ ?drclas/publications/revista/Volunteering/tcontent.html
    3. Jacqueline Butcher. "A Humanistic Perspective on the Volunteer-Recipient Relationship: A Mexican Study", in Paul Dekker and Loek Halman (Ed.). The values of volunteering: Cross-Cultural perspectives. New York, New York, Kluwer Academic-Plenum Publishers, 2003. pp. 111-113
    4. Silvia Marina Arrom. "The Societies Of St. Vincent De Paul in Mexico". In Re Vista-Giving and Volunteering in the Americas. Op. Cit.
    5. Manuel Arango. "Philanthropy in Mexico: Challenges and Opportunities". In Re Vista-Giving and Volunteering in the Americas. Op. Cit.
    6. Teresa de la Luz Becerra. Op. Cit. p.36
    7. Patronato Nacional de Promotores Voluntarios. Informe de Actividades 1989-1994. México, D.F. 1994. pp.- 3-11.
    8. Teresa de la Luz Becerra. Op. Cit. p.38
    9. Reygadas Robles Gil, Rafael. Abriendo veredas: Iniciativas públicas y sociales de las redes de organizaciones civiles. México, D.F, Convergencia de organismos Civiles por la Democracia. 1998. pp 165-177.
    10. Manuel Arango. Op. Cit.
    11. http://www.cruzrojamexicana.org/
    12. Manuel Arango. Op. Cit.
    13. htt://www.hacesfalta.org.mx, and htt://www.cemefi.org
    14. htt://www.amevac.org.mx. (Mexican Association of Volunteering web site)
    15. Virginia A. Hodkinson. "Volunteering in global perspective". In The values of volunteering: Cross-Cultural perspectives. Op. Cit. p. 35
    16. Gustavo Verduzco, Regina List and Lester M. Salom. "Mexico". In Lester M. Salomón et al (ed.). Global Civil Society: Dimensions of the Nonprofit Sector. Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, 1999. p. 431
    17. Virginia A. Hodkinson. Op. Cit. pp.38-41
    18. Gustavo Verduzco, Regina List and Lester M. Salom. Op. Cit. pp. 434-437
    19. Virginia A. Hodkinson. Op. Cit. p. 51.
    20. Amevac and Alducin y Asociados. "El voluntariado en el valle de México". In Este País. México, D.F. Octubre de 2003
    21. Paul Dekker and Loek Halman. "Volunteering and Values: An introduction". In The values of volunteering: Cross-Cultural perspectives. Op. Cit. pp. 5 and 13.

    Return to top

    Bibliography
    • Aguilar Valenzuela, Rubén. "Apuntes para una historia de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil en México", in Sociedad Civil. Análisis y Debate. Núm. 1, Vol. II, 1997, pp. 9-32.
    • Aguilar Villanueva, Luis F. "Las organizaciones civiles y el gobierno mexicano", in Sociedad Civil. Análisis y Debate. Núm. 1, Vol. II, 1997, pp. 83-102.
    • Álvarez, Lucia (Coord.). La sociedad civil ante la transición democrática. México, D.F, Red Mexicana de Investigadores sobre Organismos Civiles y Plaza y Valdez, 2002. 193 pp.
    • Amevac and Alducin y Asociados. "El voluntariado en el valle de México". In Este País. México, D.F. Octubre de 2003
    • Arango, Manuel. "Philanthropy in Mexico: Challenges and Opportunities". In Re Vista-Giving and Volunteering in the Americas. Harvard Review of Latin America. Spring 2002. Available http://www.fas.harvard.edu/ ?drclas/publications/revista/Volunteering/tcontent.html
    • Arrom, Silvia Marina. "The Societies Of St. Vincent De Paul in Mexico". In Re Vista-Giving and Volunteering in the Americas. Harvard Review of Latin America. Spring 2002. Available http://www.fas.harvard.edu/ ?drclas/publications/revista/Volunteering/tcontent.html
    • Becerra, de la Luz Teresa and Rosamaría Berlanga. Voluntariado en México. México, D.F. Noriega, 2003. 184 pp.
    • Butcher, Jacqueline. "A Humanistic Perspective on the Volunteer-Recipient Relationship: A Mexican Study". In Paul Dekker and Loek Halman (Ed.). The values of volunteering: Cross-Cultural perspectives. New York, New York, Kluwer Academic-Plenum Publishers, 2003. pp. 111-124
    • Cámara de Diputados. "Dictamen de la Comisión de participación Ciudadana, con Proyecto de Ley Federal de Fomento a las actividades realizadas por organizaciones de la sociedad civil", in Gaceta Parlamentaria. Num. 1148, 10 de diciembre de 2002.
    • Canto Chac, Manuel (Coord.). Las organizaciones civiles en la transición: programa de análisis de la realidad y alternativas. México, D.F., Red de Centros y Organismos Ecuménicos de Latinoamérica y el Caribe, 1998. 126pp.
    • Canto Chac, Manuel (Coord.). De lo Cívico a lo Público: Una discusión de las organizaciones civiles. México, D.F., Red Mexicana de Investigadores sobre Organizaciones Civiles y el Centro de Estudios sociales y Culturales Antonio Montesinos, 1998. 148 pp.
    • CEMEFI. Understanding Mexican Philantropy. Mexico, D.F. ,undated. 10 pp. --------. La Filantropia mexicana: Diagnóstico y propuestas. México, D.F. 1992
    • Dekker, Paul and Loek Halman. "Volunteering and Values: An introduction". In Paul Dekker and Loek Halman (Ed.). The values of volunteering: Cross-Cultural perspectives. New York, New York, Kluwer Academic-Plenum Publishers, 2003. pp. 1-16.
    • Dulany Peggy. "Giving and Volunteering in Latin America". In Re Vista-Giving and Volunteering in the Americas. Harvard Review of Latin America. Spring 2002. Available http://www.fas.harvard.edu/ ?drclas/publications/revista/Volunteering/tcontent.html
    • Hodkinson, Virgina A. "Volunteering in global perspective". In Paul Dekker and Loek Halman (Ed.). The values of volunteering: Cross-Cultural perspectives. New York, New York, Kluwer Academic-Plenum Publishers, 2003. pp. 35-52
    • Guerra M. Iradia. "Volunteerism in Latin America". In The Journal of Volunteer Administration. Vol. 16, N° 4, 1998, pp. 31-34.
    • Patronato Nacional de Promotores Voluntarios. Informe de Actividades 1989-1994. México, D.F. 1994. 36 pp.
    • Olvera, Alberto. Sociedad Civil, Gobernabilidad Democrática, Espacios Públicos y Democratización: los contornos de un proyecto. México, Universidad Veracruzana, 2001. 72 pp.
    • -----------. Sociedad civil, esfera pública y democratización en América Latina: México. México, DF. Fondo de Cultura Económica - Universidad Veracruzana, 2003. 460 pp.
    • Reygadas Robles Gil, Rafael. Abriendo veredas: Iniciativas públicas y sociales de las redes de organizaciones civiles. México, D.F, Convergencia de organismos Civiles por la Democracia. 1998. 619 pp.
    • Gustavo Verduzco, Regina List and Lester M. Salom. "Mexico". In Lester M. Salomón et al (ed.). Global Civil Society: Dimensions of the Nonprofit Sector. Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, 1999. pp. 429-443
    • Verduzco, María Isabel and Aguirre Reveles. The Civicus Index of Civil Society Projects in Mexico: A preliminary Report. Civicus Index on Civil Society Occasional Paper series, vol.1, issue 7. 29 pp.

    Return to top

    Printer-Friendly "Volunteerism in Mexico"