The Corporation for National and Community Service report highlights a resounding 6% increase in volunteering over the previous year. The numbers are impressive: 30.3% of adult Americans volunteer at least once a year, 77.4 million Americans volunteered 6.9 billion hours, worth an estimated value of nearly $167 billion.
Yes, this study looks at community volunteering. So let’s peak at the Decision To Volunteer for associations. Members who volunteer for associations are more likely to volunteer for 2.1 organizations. That often includes a community org and their professional/trade org. So, a rise in community volunteering can translate to a rise in commitment to association volunteering. In fact, two-thirds of the non-volunteers in the DTV study said they were looking for ways to connect volunteering to their profession/career.
If your association or chapter isn’t seeing more volunteers, then let the Mutually Beneficial Volunteerism study from the ASAE Foundation be your guide.
- Mutually Beneficial Volunteerism full report (free to ASAE Members, a steal at $9.95 for everyone else)
- Train Staff (and Volunteers) to be star volunteer managers: Be a More Effective Volunteer Manager
- Support Volunteers – think flex, training and assessment: Support Volunteers are You Do Employees
- Create the right fit: Successful Volunteer Relationships Start with Creating the Right Fit and Rethinking Volunteer Pathways
- To deepen member engagement, redefine volunteering
- Recruiting & Nurturing: 5 Ways to Keep Your Pipeline Full and Use Motivators to Recruit & Retain Volunteers
- A look at the research highlights: Maximizing Volunteer Involvement
- Check out more ideas and resources at Mariner Management
One final note: when a member volunteers for your association, that engagement boosts retention, lifetime value and loyalty. Let’s ride the wave of rising volunteering.