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Volunteering Facts & Statistics
1. Volunteering among adults has increased significantly over the past decade.
- An estimated 109 million adults aged 18 and over volunteered in 1998 (the latest statistics available), up from 93 million in 1995. Eighty million adults volunteered in 1987.
- Fifty-six percent of adults volunteered in 1998, an increase of 13.7 percent over 1995, when 49 percent of adults volunteered. This is the highest rate of volunteering in more than a decade. In 1987, 45 percent of adults volunteered.
2. While the number and percentage of the adult population that reported volunteering increased significantly over the last decade, the amount of time people spent volunteering declined slightly.
- The 109 million adult volunteers gave a total of 19.9 billion hours during 1998, an average of 3.5 hours a week.
- In contrast, 93 million volunteers contributed a total of 20.3 billion hours in 1995, an average of 4.2 hours a week. In 1987, 80 million adult volunteers gave 19.6 billion hours, averaging 4.7 hours a week.
3. Volunteer efforts are a valuable commodity.
- The volunteer workforce represented the equivalent of over nine million full-time employees; their combined efforts were worth $225 billion; the assigned hourly value (for 1998) was $14.30.
- In 1987, total volunteer efforts were worth $149 billion; the assigned hourly value was $10.06.
4. Who volunteers?
- Women volunteer more than men (62% Vs 49%), however men who volunteered gave more time than women (3.6 hours Vs 3.4 hours). v
- Seniors are volunteering in greater numbers, as are members of minority groups.
- Forty-three percent of seniors aged 75 and over said they volunteered, an eight percent increase since 1995.
- Forty-six percent of Hispanics volunteered in 1998, a six percent increase since 1995.
- Forty-seven percent of African-Americans volunteered in 1998, 12 percent more than 1995.
5. Why do people volunteer?
- More than eight out of 10 people (86%) said they volunteered because they felt compassion for those in need. Nearly three-fourths of the respondents (72%) volunteered because they had an interest in the activity or work, and 70 percent volunteered to gain a new perspective on things.
6. Other key findings:
- Nine out of 10 individuals volunteered when asked.
- Forty-one percent of volunteers considered their efforts a one-time activity.
(Source, 1-6: Giving and Volunteering in the United States, 1999; Independent Sector. This report is based on interviews with respondents who were asked about patterns of volunteering and giving in their households during 1998. The Gallup Organization conducted the interviews for Independent Sector).
7. Corporate America is placing a greater value on employee volunteer programs as a resource for achieving strategic business goals.
- Eighty-one percent of companies surveyed by the Points of Light Foundation in 1999 connect volunteering to their overall business strategies, compared to only 31 percent who did so in 1992.
- Respondents to the survey unanimously agreed that corporate volunteering helps create healthier communities and improves a company’s public image; ninety-seven percent say these programs improve employee teamwork.
(Source: Corporate Volunteer programs — A Strategic Resource: The Link Grows Stronger, Points of Light Foundation in partnership with the Allstate Foundation, 1999.)
8. America's youth have the volunteer spirit.
- Thirteen million teens, more than half of America's teen population (59%) volunteered in 1995 (latest available statistics). They gave an estimated 3.5 hours per week, totaling 2.4 billion hours of volunteer time. (Source: Independent Sector)
- Approximately one-third of young people in grades 7-12 identified "working for the good of my community and country" and "helping others or volunteering" as very important future goals.
(Source: Primedia/Roper National Youth Opinion Survey, 1998)
9. Celebrity involvement does not always help a cause.
- In evaluating whether or not a company is a good "corporate citizen," most Americans say they are influenced by the "cause itself" or the direct involvement of company employees in the effort, and are least influenced by a company's celebrity spokespersons.
(Source: Hill and Knowlton and Yankelovich Partners, 1999)
10. Episodic Volunteering
- Volunteering is a sporadic, one-time activity for 41% of volunteers
- More than one third of those who volunteer (39%) prefer to serve at a regularly scheduled time (weekly, monthly, etc.)
- Only a small number of people (9%) report that they volunteer only at specific times of the year such as Christmas or Chanukah.
(Source: Giving and Volunteering in the United States, 1999; Independent Sector)
Content for this page generously dontated by the Points of Light Foundation.
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