“Volunteering in America” report includes first-ever Civic Life Index

Washington, DC — A new federal report found that 61.2 million Americans volunteered in 2006 – a figure that approaches historic highs – while pointing out that one in three Americans dropped out of volunteering between 2005 and 2006.

“Volunteering in America: 2007 State Trends and Rankings in Civic Life,” is the second annual study by the Corporation for National and Community Service that gives a detailed breakdown of America’s volunteering habits and patterns by state and region. The report, which was released today, also provides the agency’s first-ever ranking of levels of civic engagement by state through a new Civic Life Index. It is available at http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/volunteering/index.asp.

"This new report is a landmark in civic renewal,” said Robert Putnam, the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University and author of the highly influential book, Bowling Alone. “It tells all Americans how we and our neighbors are doing as citizens. Citizenship is not a spectator sport, and we can all do better. This report points the way."

The 61.2 million adults who volunteered in the United States in 2006 represent 26.7 percent of the population. Using Independent Sector’s estimate of the dollar value of a volunteer’s time, the 8.1 billion hours Americans volunteered last year equates to a value of $152 billion dollars, a powerful economic impact to the entire nation.

While volunteering remains at historically high levels compared to past decades, the volunteer rate declined between 2005 and 2006. One key reason is volunteer attrition. Of the 65.4 million people who volunteered in 2005, 20.9 million did not continue to volunteer in 2006, the highest attrition rate in four years.

“This report is a wake up call for any group that uses volunteers: If you want to keep them, you need to give them serious and meaningful work that affects change in your community; and you have to remember to train, manage, and thank them they way you would any valued colleague,” said Corporation CEO David Eisner. “The bottom line is volunteering isn’t just nice, its necessary to solving some of our toughest social challenges. The only way to tackle the hard challenge of illiteracy, youth violence, poverty and other problems is if Americans rally together.”

Among the findings, the study reveals that females volunteer at significantly higher rates than do males; that religious organizations continue to be the most popular venue through which volunteers serve (35.3%), and that 32.2% of Baby Boomers are volunteers. As this group ages, they could double the number of older volunteers by 2034.

On the state level, Utah again led the nation in having the highest volunteering rate, followed by Nebraska, Minnesota, Alaska and Kansas. Washington D.C. and Massachusetts experienced the largest increase in volunteering of any of the 50 states between 2002 and 2006; the Midwest had the highest volunteer rate for adults, college students, Baby Boomers and older adults; and Connecticut experienced the largest growth in volunteering over the last two decades: almost doubling their volunteer rate. Minnesota and Idaho were the two top states for volunteer retention, with approximately 75 percent of volunteers continuing to volunteer year after year.

The report includes a new Civic Life Index, which uses 12 indicators to gauge state levels of community and civic engagement over time. The index was developed in consultation with Putnam and other experts and includes measures of volunteering (including state volunteer rates and state volunteer hours per capita); neighborhood engagement (including rates of working with your neighbors to improve the community and attending public meetings); voting rates in 2004 and 2006; and nonprofit organizations per capita, according to Robert T. Grimm, Jr., the agency’s Director of Research and Policy Development.

“A growing body of research demonstrates that volunteering and other community activities lead to better health, more happiness and greater prosperity in neighborhoods and states,” Grimm said. “When people volunteer, they not only spread good will, they also solve tough problems and create tangible benefits for their communities. The evidence confirms that volunteering and high levels of civic participation are vital to a healthy society.”

The Civic Life index found that states with higher volunteer rates are extremely likely to also have higher civic index scores; that Montana ranked first in civic life, followed by Vermont, Alaska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa, Oregon, Maine, and Missouri; and that the Midwest had the highest Civic Life Index among all the regions.

The Corporation is the nation’s largest grant maker for volunteering and service, and it administers the Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs. It is working with President Bush’s USA Freedom and a broad-based coalition of nonprofit, corporate, and government leaders to increase the number of volunteers in America to 75 million by the year 2010.

To help organizations better recruit and retain volunteers, the Corporation has produced a new online resource tool in response to the study’s findings on volunteer attrition. Developed by experts in volunteer management from the Points of Light Foundation and the Hands On Network, the free “Resources for Retention” how-to guide can be viewed at www.nationalservice.gov/resources.

As part of the report, the Census Bureau for the first time collected information on the level of informal volunteering in America. More than 5.3 million Americans worked with their neighbors to fix or improve something their community even though they did not volunteer through a formal organization.

“Out of the tragedy of 9/11 and the devastation of the hurricanes has come an unmistakable good: a strong interest in volunteering and community involvement, said Eisner. “America needs more volunteers to mentor youth, care for seniors, and meet other social needs. I encourage any American who wants to make a difference to visit http://www.volunteer.gov/ to find the right volunteer opportunity for you.”

Background

“Volunteering in America: 2007 State Trends and Rankings in Civic Life” is based on data obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics through a “volunteering supplement” to the Current Population Survey (CPS) from 2002 to 2006. The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households (100,000 individuals). The U.S. Census Bureau administers the CPS volunteer supplement

in September of each year to collect data on volunteering at the national, regional, and state levels. The supplement includes information on volunteering through an organization (formal volunteering), the frequency and intensity of volunteering, the types of organizations where individuals volunteer, and the volunteer activities performed. Starting in 2006, the CPS volunteer supplement also asked questions related to respondents’ level of civic engagement in their community, including informal efforts such as working with neighbors to improve the community and attendance at public meetings.

The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering for Americans of all backgrounds. Corporation programs include Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Through its programs, the Corporation is spearheading a national effort to increase the number of volunteers by 10 million by 2010. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.

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