Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this website and why is it important?

The information found in the Volunteering and Civic Life in America 2012 website can enhance discussions with community leaders, political representatives, and interested individuals on what is happening with volunteerism and civic engagement, how to sustain current volunteers, understand the impact of civic participation, and help new interested parties begin their commitment to service.

The information displayed on the website can also strategically guide an enhancement of the volunteer experience, identify appropriate goals for recruitment, build a more supportive nonprofit infrastructure for service and extend opportunities for civic engagement and participation.

There are a number of civic-related terms, including civic life, civic engagement, civic participation and civic health. What do they mean?

The above terms can be used interchangeably. In essence, civic life is the common thread of participation in and building of one's community. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) have defined civic life for the purposes of this website and related documents based on five elements of civic participation, including political activity, service, participating in a group, social connectedness and confidence in institutions.

Why did CNCS and NCoC choose to measure civic life in America?

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, signed by President Obama in April 2009, authorized both organizations to produce this report annually with the assistance of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the United States Bureau of the Census. This "Civic Health Assessment," as it is called in the Serve America Act, is meant to gauge how healthy America's communities are, based on how often residents engage in a variety of civic activities. In addition, CNCS provides this information on civic engagement in support of its mission to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. This research also supports NCoC's objective as a congressionally chartered organization to promote important dialogue around civic engagement with the goal of strengthening citizenship in America.

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 Gen Xers, Millenials, Parents, Veterans and College Students
• types of organizations where individuals volunteer; activities performed by volunteers.
• measures of civic involvement (voting, helping neighbors, participating in groups and organizations
• social connectedness ( seeing family and friends, eating together, talking to neighbors)
• confidence in institutions and trust in neighbors

The data were collected through the September Volunteer Supplement and the November Civic Engagement 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. The purpose of the November supplement is to collect information on organizational participation, social connectedness, voting behavior, political expression, trust in people and confidence in institutions. This information and these insights intend 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.

How are the rankings calculated?

The Volunteering and Civic Life in America website includes rankings of America's states, large cities (metropolitan areas) and mid-size cities.

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 calculated from the 2009, 2010, and 2011 volunteering and civic life supplements to the CPS, unless otherwise noted. Mid-size city rankings are based on four years of data, from the 2008, 2009, 20010, and 2011 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. 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 CNCS.

Are rankings the most important aspect of the Volunteering and Civic Life 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. The data provides a current landscape of volunteering and civic life in American communities. State and City ranking may differ by special populations, and this allows communities to identify which groups of individuals are volunteering, what service activities are being performed, and which types of organizations are the most common sites for volunteering. The site can also rank states by measures of civic engagement, including voting, helping neighbors, discussing politics, and social connectedness. 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 where people volunteer categorized?

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. 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 civic groups where people participate categorized?

The BLS November supplement identifies the types of organizations where people participate. These broad categories include;

1. school groups, neighborhood, or community associations such as PTA or neighborhood watch groups;
2. service or civic organizations such as American Legion or Lions Club;
3. sports or recreation organizations;
4. churches, synagogues, mosques, or other religious institution (not counting attendance at services); and
5. other type of organizations

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 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. 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.

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 2011?

What we found this year is that the volunteer rate increased between 2010 and 2011 by half a percentage point, the number of hours served by volunteers nation-wide however declined to at about $7.9 billion hours served per year– translating to almost 171 billion dollars

• While volunteer hours declined, those who continued serving showed strong dedication to making a difference. Total hours served increased for teen agers, older adults and Millenials, and the volunteer rate increased for all generational groups. Millenials showed the strongest gains in overall volunteer rate, increasing nearly a percentage point over 2010. Gen Xers also experienced an increase in their 2011 volunteer rate of .3 percentage points
• Between 2009 and 2010, the retention rate dropped by two full percentage points, however between 2010 and 2011 the retention rate increased by .1 percentage point, potentially helping to explain the increase in the volunteer rate.
• 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.
• One important finding in this release is that, in addition to Millenials increasing their commitment to volunteering, Generation X has also demonstrated a steady commitment, increasing their rate as well in 2011. As generations mature, their commitment to improving their communities increases.

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 projects. The data show that 62.8 million Americans across the country volunteered to help change the course of their communities. Data illustrate 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.

How can civic participation be increased to augment the civic health of communities?

CNCS and NCoC are providing training and technical assistance resources to help nonprofits and civic leaders capitalize on the information provided here on civic engagement. These resources were designed to assist communities enhance civic participation and provide tools for communities to develop lasting solutions to their problems.

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. However, we do not observe a similar relationship between unemployment and volunteering at the state level.
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?

This data is a great tool for states and cities to develop comprehensive strategies to increase their volunteer capacity and to leverage citizen service. This website 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 2010 (year 1) who also volunteered in 2011 (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, 37 percent of 2010 volunteers – 20.5 million adults overall – did not volunteer again in 2011. 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/