Volunteering - Motivated?

One of the best things I like about President Obama is his desire to get Americans to get out and do something, help the community somehow. It's difficult, though, because we haven't done it in so long. Then, even more difficult, you have to find ways to motivate people to want to do it.

"Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."
-Dwight D. Eisenhower

I think the problem today is people don't have the motivation to get out and do something. I also believe today's generations look for short-term effects, instead of the more important long-term ones, so the idea of volunteering isn't a viable one.

YouTube - Declining Volunteer Rates

Here is an example long-term, but transparent affect of volunteering, according to "The View":

YouTube - Volunteering Will Make You Happier & Healthier

One of the many things that propelled me to do something (e.g. join the National Guard) comes from the following video. Can you imagine this happening to you (ignore the fact that it's a Budweiser ad)?

YouTube - Soldiers Coming Home

This video is an extreme case that shows how people may respond to selfless things you can do. To get people to react like that by doing simple volunteer work (e.g. not making long term commitment to the military) is in fact quite difficult.

One idea I have is to force people to do something great, like help build a house. The volunteers (or in this case, the "volun-tolds") would have to put in a lot of time and hard work. Then, in the end, when it is all said and done, show the "volun-tolds" the reactions of the people who it was all done for as they see the results for the first time. Then, maybe, will they do it again. Would you?

The problem of course is to force people to do so. It would also be unethical to trick people to do something like that. You couldn't pay people to do it either, because then it isn't volunteering.

One of my coworkers was able to put into words how I felt, when he asked, "What have you done that is difficult, but for someone else?"

How would you motivate others to do something great, but for someone else?