How We Volunteer
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In The Spotlight
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News on Long Distance Volunteers
First-ever national study of "Voluntourism" (long-distance volunteering) in the U.S. finds that in the Gulf area visiting volunteers significantly bolster disaster recovery efforts, supplying one in four of the total volunteers in Mississippi in 2007 and one in five in Louisiana. See a press release on current efforts around voluntourism.
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Pro Bono Service: It's not just for lawyers
New research shows that unlike legal professionals, volunteers rarely use their occupational skills when they serve. See a press release about the Corporation’s unveiling of the new Pro Bono Campaign designed to capitalize on volunteers' work place skills.
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The Future of Volunteering
Three groups are positioned to take the lead in volunteering: Teenagers (ages 16-19), the Millennial generation (born after 1981), and the Baby Boomer generation (born between 1946 and 1964). See new state and city rankings for these groups by clicking on the links above.
Facts about volunteering
Read More- How many people volunteered in America in 2007?
- In 2007, 60.8 million volunteers performed 8.1 billions hours of service.
- Which state ranks ##1 in Volunteering?
- With a volunteer rate of 43.9%, Utah is the top ranking state in the nation for volunteering. Utah also ranks ##1 in volunteer hours, with the average volunteer serving 81.3 hours per year.
- What large city ranks ##1 in volunteering?
- With a volunter rate of 40.5%, Minneapolis-St. Paul is the top-ranking major city in the nation for volunteer rates.
- True or False: Women volunteer more than men.
- It is true in 2007 that women volunteered at a rate of 30.6% and men volunteered at a rate of 23.6%. The "Typical" volunteer tends to be female, married, working, and has children.
- What group has the highest volunteer rate?
- On average, Baby Boomers have the highest volunteer rate of 31.2%. Average volunteer rates for the other categories are: Young Adults ages 16-24 years old-22.3%; College Students-27.4%; and older adults ages 65 and older-24.2%.
- How much is your volunteer time worth?
- The Independent Sector currently values the average contribution of volunteer service at 19.51$ per hour. Using this value, Americans provided an estimated $150 billion annually in volunteered time