Volunteering in America

New Research

Volunteering in America 2011 (PDF 373 KB)

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 Volunteering in America Fact Sheet covers the key findings and top highlights from the most recent 2010 data. The Volunteering in America data is the most comprehensive source of volunteering information assembled, thanks to a partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The 2010 Civic Life in America series features national statistics, findings, and trends on civic life. Civic life is, in essence, the common thread of participation in and building of one's community.

Civic Life in America offers data on five central themes of civic life, including 1) service; 2) participating in a group; 3) connecting to information and current events; 4) social connectedness; and 5) political action. Major findings include:

• Americans are coming together to solve the pressing challenges faced in their communities;
• People who volunteer are more likely to participate in the other elements of civic life;
• Use of the Internet is positively related to civic engagement can be a real driver of civic engagement; and
• Veterans are generally more involved in their communities than non-veterans. More detailed information about these findings can be seen in the Issue Brief.

Civic Life in America is produced through a partnership between the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Visit www.serve.gov/civic to see information about your state, city, or the nation.

• Issue Brief
• Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Website
• Press Release

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Nonprofits and Community Organizations

Volunteering in America's Faith-Based Organizations (PDF 111 KB) (PDF 111 KB)

This document reviews some of the research from the Corporation for National and Community Service on the nexus of faith-based organizations in order to help guide the process of forming more effective collaborations. (released 2009)

Intrinsic in the spirit and purpose of many faith-based organizations is a sentiment that it is important to make a difference by serving others—it is only natural that faith-based organizations and other nonprofit organizations work together to achieve the good they wish to see in the community.

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Volunteer Retention

The New Volunteer Workforce (PDF 315 KB) (PDF 315 KB)

This article highlights innovations in volunteer management and other strategies for retaining volunteers. (released 2009)

Nonprofits rely heavily on volunteers, but poor management can result in a volunteer's dissatisfaction. As a result, more than one-third of those who volunteer one year do not donate their time the next year at any nonprofit. That adds up to an estimated $38 billion in lost labor. To remedy this situation, nonprofit leaders must develop a more strategic approach to managing this overlooked and undervalued talent pool.

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Capitalizing on Volunteers' Skills: Volunteering in America by Occupation (PDF 426 KB)

The brief is designed to help broaden and deepen public and private sector partnerships, and allow nonprofits to take full advantage of the skills volunteers have to offer. (released 2009)

Capitalizing on Volunteers' Skills looks at the prevalence of volunteering among people in various occupations and, for the first time, shows how often they use their occupational skills when they volunteer.

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Keeping Baby Boomers Volunteering (PDF)

This report focuses on important components of recruiting and retaining Baby Boomer volunteers.(released 2007)

While much attention has focused on how to recruit Baby Boomers into the ranks of volunteers, relatively little attention has been paid to ensuring that those who choose to volunteer one year continue to do so the next. Because three out of every ten Boomer volunteers choose not to volunteer in the following year, a key aspect of keeping Boomer volunteer rates high is to learn how to retain existing Boomer volunteers.

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Volunteer Management Capacity Study, 2003 (243 KB PDF)

This report highlights the importance of establishing a strong volunteer support infrastructure for recruiting and retaining volunteers and provides a set of effective volunteer management practices. (released 2003)

The Volunteer Management Capacity Study assessed the capacity of the nonprofit sector to engage volunteers in a way that provides the greatest possible impact and to provide meaningful volunteer opportunities.

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