Volunteering in America

What is the purpose of the VolunteeringInAmerica.gov Web site and why is it important?

The information found in the Volunteering in America 2011 Web site (www.VolunteeringInAmerica.gov) can enhance discussions with community leaders, political representatives, and interested individuals on what is happening with volunteerism, how to sustain current volunteers, and how to help new interested parties begin their commitment to service.

Volunteers are resolute in their commitment to the nation, serving almost 8.1 billion hours in their communities in 2010 – translating to almost 173 billion dollars. The information in the Volunteering in America Web site can also strategically guide an enhancement of the volunteer experience, identify appropriate goals for recruitment, and build a more supportive nonprofit infrastructure for service. In these ways, VolunteeringInAmerica.gov ultimately supports the Corporation’s mission of improving lives, strengthening communities, and fostering civic engagement through service and volunteering across America.

Local governments, community service leaders, and service organizations can use this research and the tools found on the Web site to develop growth strategies to expand recruitment and mobilize a greater number of volunteers to help address some of our nation’s most pressing challenges.

Where does the data come from?

Data is collected on and then reported at the national, regional, and state levels for a number of items, including:

• volunteers (age 16 and older) who served through or with an organization;
• volunteer hours served;
• volunteer statistics for demographic subgroups defined by race, ethnicity, gender and age;
• volunteer statistics for specialized populations, such as Baby Boomers and college students
• types of organizations where individuals volunteer; and
• activities performed by volunteers.

The data for Volunteering in America 2011 were collected through a September Volunteer Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households (approximately 100,000 adults), conducted on an annual basis through a partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Current Population Survey obtains information on employment and unemployment for the nation’s civilian non-institutionalized population, ages 16 and older. The purpose of the September supplement is to report information on the incidence of volunteering, the characteristics of volunteers, and other aspects of civic life in the United States. It is the goal of the Corporation to share this information and these insights on volunteering to help key decision makers and community members use service as a solution to the nation’s most pressing concerns.

Volunteers are defined as persons who perform unpaid volunteer activities. The count of volunteers includes only persons who volunteered through or for an organization.

National Service data, which is specific to the programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, come from both the Corporation and its external partners.

How are the rankings calculated?

The Volunteering in America Web site includes rankings of America’s states, large cities (metropolitan areas), and mid-size cities.

Rankings on VolunteeringInAmerica.gov were calculated by combining three to four years of data in order to increase the reliability of the ranking and rate. States and large cities (metropolitan areas) use three years of data; mid-size cities use four. You will note that in some cases, single-year results are also available. To improve reliability, the rankings results in this report are based on multiple years of data. For example, rankings for states and large-cities are based on three years’ of data —combined statistics calculatedfrom the 2008, 2009, and 2010 volunteering supplements to the CPS, unless otherwise noted. Mid-size city rankings are based on four years of data, from the 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 volunteering supplements to the CPS, as mid-size cities tend to have a smaller sample size each year. Despite the use of multiple years worth of data to produce the ranking statistics, however, some differences between states and cities may not be statistically significant.

For city rankings, the data are collected from the entire Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Thus, the data considers volunteering within the principal cities of the MSA as well as suburban areas. MSAs are metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by. According to the definitions provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), an MSA is centered on one or more urbanized areas of 50,000 or more in population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the urban core as measured by commuting ties.

The exception to this rule is in New England, where volunteering statistics are not reported for MSAs, but for NECTAs (New England City and Town Areas). NECTAs are based on cities and towns, while MSAs are based on counties, which tend to be much larger and have more diverse populations in New England. To gather data from other sources, we use data from MSAs whose boundaries match the NECTA boundaries as closely as possible.

To take an example, statistics for Los Angeles, CA were collected within the Los Angeles Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) which includes the following major cities: Los Angeles, CA; Long Beach, CA; and Santa Ana, CA, plus portions of the populations of Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California. For more information about MSAs, see http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/bulletins/b03-04_attach.pdf; for more information about the areas covered by the CPS sample within an MSA, contact the Corporation.

Are rankings the most important aspect of the Volunteering in America release?

While state and city volunteer rankings are one method for showing improvements in a city or state, it is not the most important aspect of the site. VolunteeringInAmerica.gov provides a current landscape of volunteering and service in American communities, and allows communities to see what groups of individuals are or are not volunteering, what service activities are being performed, and through which types of organizations. The site also provides tools, tips and effective practices to help nonprofits, communities and civic leaders develop and implement their service agenda, strengthen their volunteer recruitment efforts, and deepen their volunteers’ commitment to service. The wealth of information available on the site is an important platform to develop volunteer growth strategies and build the civic infrastructure of nonprofits and communities.

How are organizations categorized where people volunteer?

The BLS questionnaire sorts the types of organizations where people volunteer into 16 categories (see list below). We then recode the BLS organization-type variable even further to create the VIA version. The "other" category contains the BLS categories "other" (an original CPS response), "environmental or animal care," and "public safety." The "not determined" responses have been removed from the totals altogether.

Types of Organizations Categories:

1. Religious organizations
2. Children’s educational, sports and recreational groups
3. Other educational groups
4. Social and community service groups
5. Civic organizations
6. Cultural or arts organizations
7. Environmental or animal care organizations
8. Health research or education organizations
9. Hospitals, clinics and healthcare organizations
10. Immigrant/refugee assistance organizations
11. International organizations
12. Labor unions, and business or professional organizations
13. Political parties or Advocacy Groups
14. Public safety organizations
15. Sports and hobby groups; and
16. Youth services organizations.

If you would like to see examples of each of the organization categories, please click here.

How are volunteer activities categorized?

The BLS questionnaire sorts the types of volunteer activities into 13 categories (see list below). Volunteers are asked whether they perform each of these activities with their main organization – the organization with which they served the most hours in the previous year. The volunteer activities statistics we report in VIA are different from those reported in the annual brief published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Volunteering in the United States." Table 6 of the annual BLS brief shows the percentage of volunteers whose main activity with their main volunteer organization falls into each of the standard activity categories. In VIA, we report the percentage of volunteers who perform this activity at all with their main organization, whether or not they considered this to be their main activity. Please note that if "Other type of activity" is one of the top four activities for any of our profiles, we do not include that in the chart, but rather go to the next highest activity so that there are four specific activities listed in each profile.

Volunteer Activity Categories:

1. Coach, referee, or supervise sports teams
2. Tutor or teach
3. Mentor youth
4. Be an usher, greeter, or minister
5. Collect, prepare, distribute, or serve food
6. Collect, make, or distribute clothing, crafts, or goods other than food
7. Fundraise or sell items to raise money
8. Provide counseling, medical care, fire/EMS or protective services
9. Provide general office services
10. Provide professional or management assistance, including serving on a board or committee
11. Engage in music, performance, or other artistic activities
12. Engage in general labor; supply transportation for people
13. Other.

If you would like to see examples of each of the volunteer categories, please click here.

How did the volunteer rates change in 2010?

What we found this year is that while the volunteer rate decreased between 2009 and 2010 by half a percentage point, the number of hours served by volunteers nation-wide stayed stable at about $8.1 billion hours served per year– translating to almost 173 billion dollars. We think a few things are happening here:

• While volunteer rates did drop, those who continued serving showed strong dedication to making a difference, often chipping in to serve more than they had in the previous year. In fact the proportion of volunteers serving intensively (100+ hours per year) did increase this year.
• It’s time to revive the call to action on volunteer retention. Each year about a third of Americans who served the previous year do not return the next year. Between 2009 and 2010, the retention rate dropped by two full percentage points, which could be a major reason why the rate overall dropped this year. The good news is we know some time tested strategies we can be promoting for addressing retention: screening and matching volunteers to the best opportunity for them, providing opportunities for learning and professional development, and recognizing volunteers for the impact they make in organizations and the communities they serve.
• And of course we all know that many of the organizations we support are really struggling to make ends meet in this tough financial environment. At a time like this volunteer leveraging becomes more important than ever to help alleviate some of the pressures on nonprofit staff to meet greater needs in communities and make an impact.
• We also found, and will be celebrating with this launch, that Generation X—once considered skeptical and disengaged—stepped up their commitment in 2010, giving more than 2.3 billion hours of service, an increase of almost 110 million hours since 2009.

How are volunteers making a difference in their communities?

All types of Americans are serving in a variety of ways. From young students to seniors - Americans are making a difference through traditional nonprofits, by serving informally in their communities, and creating their own service project. The Volunteering in America data shows that 62.8 million Americans across the country volunteered to help change the course of their communities. Volunteering in America data illustrates the rate of individuals ages 16 and over who perform unpaid volunteer activities for or through an organization. It is important to note that this is only one of the many ways that Americans are serving.

Volunteers are mobilizing to help individuals in need by mentoring youth to help them stay in school; serving food at their local church or shelter; providing job training and employment counseling; and contributing to many other critical services. Through service, volunteers are supporting the vulnerable populations hit hardest by the economy and helping to create a stronger, more stable future.

Are volunteers replacing current staff in nonprofit organizations?

The nation’s nonprofits are under strain from a tight economy, a leadership drain (as Boomers retire), and are facing higher staff turnover rates than many other industries. Volunteers are a resource for tackling these challenges. We have found more often that volunteers provide shorter-term services than staff, and often serve part-time. To that regard, nonprofits are not encouraged to use volunteerism as a strategy to replace permanent staff. Instead, nonprofits are encouraged to incorporate volunteering into their strategic mission. Volunteers can serve many functions, whether it is providing direct services by providing financial management and job training to someone who has lost employment, or by providing capacity-building services such as recruiting and managing other volunteers. In fact providing meaningful service to volunteers and having a staff member who can train and possibly even manage them, are effective strategies for retaining those volunteers over time.

What leads to differences in volunteer rates?

While we cannot conclusively determine that any single factor directly influences the level of volunteering in a community, we have identified some key themes which play an important role in America’s volunteering rates or habits.

1. Greater Attachment to Community Encourages Volunteering:
   1. Higher Rates of Homeownership Correlates with Higher Percentages of Volunteers: In places where more homes are owner-occupied, community residents tend to have higher levels of investment in a community, and, perhaps as a result, higher levels of volunteering.
   2. Large Numbers of  Multi-Unit Housing Influence Volunteering: In states and large metropolitan areas with a larger percentage of multi-unit housing, such as apartment buildings and condominiums, volunteer rates tend to be lower.  While heavily populated areas may provide more opportunities to volunteer, residents may also be less engaged in community affairs, as suggested by this result.
   3. Conversely, Volunteer Rates Lower in Cities with Higher Foreclosures: Large cities with higher rates of foreclosures tended to have lower rates of volunteering.  
2. Long Commutes Can Curtail Opportunities to Volunteer: Long commutes can curtail volunteering in a community by decreasing the amount of time residents have for non-work related activities, as well as the time for creating the social connections that lead to volunteering.
3. Socio-economic Conditions Correlate with Volunteer Rates: Some communities, particularly those with a smaller percentage of residents who have a high school diploma or GED and those with higher unemployment and poverty rates, tend to have less access to civic resources that reinforce volunteering.
   1. Volunteering Rises with Education: For states and large metropolitan areas, as the education level increases, the likelihood of volunteering also increases.
   2. In States, Higher Unemployment Related to Lower Volunteering: States with higher unemployment rates are more likely to have lower volunteering rates. However, we do not observe a similar relationship between unemployment and volunteering across major metropolitan areas ("large cities").
   3. Volunteering is Less Common in Higher Poverty Areas: Poverty is another socioeconomic characteristic that tends to be strongly associated with lower volunteer rates.
4. Greater Numbers of Community Associations Correlate with Higher Volunteer Rates:Cities with fewer nonprofits may find themselves with smaller numbers of volunteers because of the lack of opportunity and options. Not surprisingly, then, communities with more nonprofits per capita are likely to have higher volunteer rates.

All of these factors can play a role in influencing the volunteer rate in a community and each city has its own unique blend of strengths and challenges.

What can a city do to increase its volunteer rate?

Volunteering in America is a great tool for states and cities to develop comprehensive strategies to increase their volunteer capacity and to leverage citizen service. This Web site provides evidence that volunteering habits are strongly connected to the particular characteristics of a given community.  In order to make a big difference, over-arching changes may need to be made to the community as a whole. However, there are some practical steps we can take to move closer to the goal of engaging all Americans in serving their communities. Some of those steps include:

Encourage leaders in communities to consider strategies for elevating the issue of volunteering in their policies and communications. Volunteering is already playing a large role in solving problems and raising the quality of life in cities and states across the country, but there is a long way to go before the majority of communities are benefitting from the full potential of volunteering in their areas.

Work with employers to popularize flexible work schedules in order to diminish the effect of long commuting times on volunteering. Also, spread the word about pro bono volunteering and skills-based volunteering—they are no longer just for legal professionals. They can be excellent training experiences as well as opportunities for real partnerships in the community leading to natural, positive public relations.

Work with schools and other groups to spur greater community engagement among youth through activities such as service-learning in order to start young people on a pathway to life-long engagement and to draw parents into service as well.

Encourage nonprofits to reinvent and expand the roles that volunteers play in an organization in order to attract more people to service and boost volunteer retention.

How is volunteer retention calculated?

Volunteer retention is defined as the proportion of year-1 volunteers who also perform volunteer service in the following year. Due to the design of the CPS Volunteer Supplement sample, 50 percent of the respondents in a given year remain in the sample for the following September supplement. Volunteer retention rates are calculated using matched pairs of CPS Volunteer Supplement datasets, because year-1 and year-2 statistics are available for individual respondents. For example, the national retention rate for 2010 is calculated as the proportion of those who volunteered in 2009 (year 1) who also volunteered in 2010 (year 2).

Is volunteer retention still a significant issue?

While many nonprofits have benefited from the increase in the number of hours volunteers spent serving, volunteer retention still remains a significant issue.

Data from the Current Population Survey Volunteer Supplement show that about one third of volunteers tend to drop out of service each year. According to the most recent CPS data, 36.5 percent of 2009 volunteers – 23.1 million adults overall – did not volunteer again in 2010. This high rate of volunteer turn-over stunts the productivity of non-profit organizations as they focus on replacing volunteers instead of maximizing impact.

Here are some reasons why volunteers stop serving and non-volunteers do not serve:

• They are not invited to volunteer: Personal invitations to serve are more appealing to prospective volunteers;
• There are myths about volunteering: Non-volunteers see themselves as essentially different from volunteers;
• Volunteering takes up too much time: Non-volunteers worry about having enough time to volunteer, but in fact, research shows that people who do not volunteer have more free time than volunteers do;
• Organizations do not implement effective volunteer management practices: Poor volunteer management turns people off of service; and
• Organizations try to make a square peg fit in a round hole: Skills-based volunteering can bring in new volunteers. As such, be flexible about the types of opportunities you offer volunteers and assess their interests. For example, if you manage a tutoring program, you might find that a prospective volunteer might be less interested in tutoring, but might be more willing to utilize her marketing skills to help promote the program.

What can nonprofits do to increase retention of their volunteers?

Below is a list of eight effective management practices that organizations can adopt to increase volunteer retention:

• Regularly supervise and communicate with volunteers;
• Train paid staff in how to work with volunteers;
• Offer training and professional development opportunities for volunteers;
• Measure the impacts of your volunteers each year;
• Recognize your volunteers through activities, such as award ceremonies;
• Write policies and service descriptions for volunteers;
• Implement screening procedures to identify suitable volunteers; and
• Regularly collect information on volunteer numbers and hours.

How can a city or community help nonprofit organizations build capacity using volunteers?

The nation’s nonprofits are under strain from a tight economy, a leadership drain (as Boomers retire), and high turnover among younger nonprofit staff. Volunteers are an undervalued and underutilized resource for tackling these challenges.  Here are some specific ways volunteers can help nonprofits address financial challenges, confront workforce shortages, and achieve high impact:

• Tackling Financial Challenges -- Volunteers can help ease financial pressures by providing technology services, developing programs, training staff and conducting strategic planning. 
• Confronting workforce shortages -- Engaging volunteers is a common sense strategy for attracting additional experience and providing support to alleviate burnout. Baby Boomer volunteers can mentor young nonprofit professionals, leading to improved staff morale and lower turnover.
• Achieving High Impact-- Volunteers may know a community’s assets, key players, and underlying challenges. They may also have the community connections required to open doors. Volunteers can also help a nonprofit stay connected to community issues. 

More info about how to attract and retain volunteers can be found at http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/

What other research has the Corporation for National and Community Service produced and where can I find it?

Each year, the Office of Research and Policy Development produces an overview of volunteering at the national, regional, state, and city level. To see related research, go to http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/research-papers.cfm