20 Volunteer Stats for Your Summer Reading

Hope you are all enjoying the summer! As I write this, I’m in Colorado Springs enjoying time with my grandkids (yes, I have grandkids!). Meanwhile, Peggy & Peter are planning their well-deserved vacation coming soon.

That said, we can’t neglect our promise to bring you our monthly top 20 lists! This month, we’re focusing on 20 volunteer stats collected from a variety of sources, all of which are cited below (we’ve added our own thoughts in ital.) So here we go!

Top 2 tidbits:

  1. The current estimate of a volunteer’s worth is $29.95 (Independent Sector, 2022). Personally, we think they are priceless!
  2. Only 55% of nonprofits assess volunteer impact (Cloud for Good). This is a big miss which if done could recruit more volunteers, drive more results, and help giving programs!

 

Who is volunteering:

  1. Women continue to dominate the volunteer sphere (TechJury, 2022). Thinking there’s an untapped resource?
  2. The average age range of a volunteer is 35 and 54. Which takes us to …
  3. The lowest age range is 20-24. Definitely need to reach out to up & coming pros!
  4. Nearly 60% of members prefer ad-hoc or micro-volunteering (The Decision To Volunteer ASAE, 2008). This continues to be the case. p.s. Check out this list of 20 ad hoc and micro volunteer roles.
  5. Millennials will be a major component of the global workforce by 2025 with estimates as high as 75% (Realized Worth, 2022). They also are more likely to be more concerned with social challenges, thus more inclined to support organizations with a strong sense of social purpose. Associations need to be ready to tap into this new dynamic.
  6. The average percentage of members who are current volunteers for the past 12 months is 14.5% and former volunteers is 15.7% (Sneak peek from the soon-to-be-released ASAE Foundation volunteering study.)

 

Benefits of Volunteering:

  1. Older volunteers see a 44% lower mortality rate. Likewise, volunteering leads to an 8.54% in mental health for all (TechJury, 2022) . Working together with people who share your passions often leads to lifetime friendships.
  2. 60% of hiring managers see the act of volunteerism as a valuable asset when making recruitment decisions (Forbes, 2013). This has not changed; volunteering continues to be viewed as an asset when looking for a job.

 

How & why are they volunteering:

  1. Virtual volunteering gained steam during the pandemic. One source cites 52% of companies tapped virtual volunteering as a way to help employees give their time to nonprofit causes saving 33% when compared to similar physical volunteering activities (Realized Worth, 2022).  Having trouble with volunteers getting permission to give time, maybe focus on virtual opportunities!
  2. Looking at volunteering over the past 5 years 2017-21, 41% of volunteers reported an increase in hours, 37% stayed the same, and 18% reported a decrease. Note there were mixed results on the impact of COVID from staff while 60% of volunteers said it didn’t change (Sneak peek from the soon-to-be-released ASAE Foundation volunteering study.) Virtual volunteering grew during the pandemic and continues to be a force.
  3. A face-to-face request is 34 times more successful than an email (Vounteerorg). Phone calls work too. We can’t stress this enough!
  4. When asked why a member volunteers, giving back to my industry/profession stands at #1 (78%) with expanding my professional network at 51% coming in at #2. (Sneak peek from the soon-to-be-released ASAE Foundation volunteering study.)
  5. From the same research, career benefits are cited at least one-third of the time. This includes increasing my personal visibility, advancing my career, playing a larger role in legislative, regulatory and professional advocacy, and improving my technical knowledge and leadership skills. Looking forward to the study!
  6. Chapter leaders rated networking to grow personal circle of contacts as the benefit which brings them the highest personal satisfaction in their chapter leadership role (4 out of a 5 point scale). (2022 Chapter Performance & Benchmarking Report).

 

What keeps volunteers engaged and what do organizations do to keep volunteers engaged? Stats below come from Sterling Volunteers, 2021.

  1. 81% state that seeing the impact of their volunteerism keeps them engaged. Likewise, 81% of organizations see this as a top priority.
  2. 59% state they continue to volunteer due to the relationships with other volunteers, staff, or the community they are helping. Organizations put this at 79%.
  3. 45% state the opportunities to build skills and gain experiences as an important benefit with organizations setting the importance at 56%
  4. Only 24% of volunteers see recognition by staff and the organization while organizations put it at 74%. How can we make sure our volunteers feel the love? Check out these 20 cool ideas to say a thank you that makes a difference!

 

This list is part of our “Top 20” where we share 20 tips/ideas/resources as part of our 20th Anniversary! Check out what we’ve shared so far. Hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

Tags: Volunteering