Volunteers are a tremendous resource for charitable nonprofits. Absent volunteers, many charitable nonprofits would not be able to conduct programs, raise funds, or serve clients. The vast majority of board members who serve on charitable nonprofits’ boards are volunteers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, volunteerism peaked between 2003 and 2005, when 28.8 percent of Americans reported having volunteered the previous year. Today, the numbers are far less. People are busy and more families may need to work fulltime, leaving less time for volunteering. However – volunteer opportunities are shifting with the times. Did you know that it’s possible to volunteer virtually? Or that websites exist just to help match the right volunteers with service projects and even skilled-volunteer opportunities?
Volunteering Statistics And Trends For Nonprofits
Volunteering Statistics
Approximately 63 million Americans — 25% of the adult population — volunteer their time, talents, and energy to making a difference.- The 2016 national value of volunteer time is $24.14 per hour. In other words, Americans contribute $193 billion of their time to our communities.
- The volunteer rate declined by 0.4% to 24.9% in 2016.
- Women volunteer at higher rates (27.8%) than men (21.8%).
- People aged 35-44 and 45-54 are most likely to volunteer (28.9% and 28% respectively) while 20-24 year olds have the lowest rates (18.4%).
- On average, people spend an average of 52 hours per year volunteering their time.
- 72% of volunteers are involved with only one organization, while 18.3% are involved with two.
- The top four national volunteer activities are food collection or distribution (24.2%), fundraising or selling items to raise money (23.9%), general labor or transportation (18.8%), and tutoring or teaching (17.9%).
- The top four volunteer areas are for religious (34.1%), educational (26%), social service (14.9%), and health (7.3%) organizations.
- 42.1% of people became volunteers with their main organization after being asked to volunteer.
Read the full list of charitable giving statistics