The World Alliance for the Volunteer Economy (WAVE) is a social-profit 501 (c) (3) that was founded in March 2009 by Paul Shirley. Paul's bold vision for WAVE is to enable peace and well-being around the world through volunteerism for the good of humanity. The term Volunteer Economy was conceived in the early creation of WAVE. It reflects the understanding that there is inherent value in the gifti
ng of time by one individual to another in need, and that all economies have one thing in common: value creation. The basis for value creation within the transformational Volunteer Economy is God's goodness. This goodness is shared and exchanged via trustworthy and competent relationships to enable people in need to gain access to life's valuable resources. This time-enabled flow of goodness provides the currency for the growing needs of the "Relationship Age". Paul set up WAVE operations in Fulton County, Indiana, in the spring of 2009 to test his relationship driven Volunteer Economy concepts. This rural Hoosier community where Paul grew up is struggling to rise above the fear-based scarcity mentality that has led to: high unemployment; poor academic achievement and low literacy rates among the impoverished; large numbers of people without access to cost-effective healthcare; significant levels of disenfranchisement for those in need; and an ever growing entitlement mentality...all of which are linked to broken trust and ineffective relationships. Paul believes this struggling community reflects the challenges that America and the world faces as a whole. Paul resigned from his six-figure salary and CEO position to dedicate his life to learning how to love the way God loves. Since the inception of WAVE , Paul has volunteered more than 15,000 hours, taken no salary and financially supported WAVE in partnership with his loving wife Wendy.
