Essential Volunteer Statistics and Trends in Engagement
Uncover current happenings in volunteerism across the globe.
1. About 63 million Americans volunteer.2
That’s around 25% of the adult population. Looking at the wider world, that number only goes up with a total of over 1 billion people volunteering across the globe.
2. One-third of the nonprofit workforce is volunteers.3
3. 62% of nonprofits state that recruiting volunteers is “a big problem.”4
4. 35% of individuals volunteer to socialize.5
Specifically, social volunteers give their time more frequently than others and tend to volunteer with more than one organization, which as the next few statistics will show, is not the norm. For these volunteers, the community your nonprofit builds is what matters and what makes them dedicated to your cause.
5. Individuals who regularly volunteer have a 27% higher chance of finding employment.6
6.72% of volunteers work with just one organization.2
Meanwhile, just 18% of volunteers are involved with two! And only 10% volunteer with three or more charitable organizations.
7. Approximately 1 in 3 American volunteers donate their time to religious organizations.7
8. Formal volunteering is declining in most states.8
In Florida, already a state with low volunteering rates, 22.8% of the population volunteered in 2017. Today, the rate has dropped to 15.9%. In contrast, Utah has the highest percentage of its population (51%) volunteer, many of whom participate in volunteer opportunities provided through their churches.
9. Volunteers experience 38% fewer nights in the hospital.9
10. Most U.S.-based volunteers are between the ages of 35 and 44.7
Volunteer Grant Statistics
11. 40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grants.10
12. 80% of companies offer volunteer grants worth between $8-$15 per hour volunteered.10
13. 85% of the top matching gift companies also offer volunteer grant programs.10
Philanthropic-minded employers generally offer multiple opportunities for staff to make a positive social impact. If you know a company matches monetary donations, chances are good that it also matches volunteer time!
14. Individual and team volunteer grants are some of the most widely available forms of corporate philanthropy for employees.10
15. The average employee participation level for volunteer grants, or Dollars for Doers, is a mere 3%.15
With a mere 3% of qualifying employees participating in volunteer grants, these programs have a significant amount of untapped potential.
Paid Volunteer Time Off Statistics
16. 60% of companies offer paid volunteer time off.11
This perk is growing in popularity, and an additional 21% of companies have ambitions to implement a VTO policy as early as later this year.
17. 49% of individuals state their biggest obstacle to volunteering is work commitments.12
49% of individuals state work commitments are their biggest obstacle to volunteering. Conversely, reports also show that 30% of volunteers claim one of their reasons for volunteering is that they had the time to do so.
18. Companies with paid volunteer time off programs offer an average of 20 VTO hours per team member annually.1
That equates to about 2.5 full days each year!
19. 67% of survey respondents say that having paid time off to volunteer would make for a positive experience.1
When a group of nonprofit supporters was asked what would create an optimal volunteer experience, more than 2 in 3 responded with a desire for paid time off work. Meanwhile, 62% of respondents indicated that the ability to volunteer during business hours is the top factor for a positive experience.
Other Corporate Volunteering Statistics
20. 84% of employers feel volunteerism is an effective way to engage employees.13
21. Companies see 52% less turnover among new employees who participate in corporate giving programs, like volunteer days.14
22. The average corporate volunteer rate participation rate is 33%.1
Recent studies show that the average corporation sees an estimated 1 in 3 employees getting involved. At the same time, companies with fewer than 10,000 employees saw a higher-than-average participation rate of 39%.
At the top quartile, the employee participation rate is double the average at 66%. Meanwhile, companies with more than 50,000 employees had a decreased participation rate of 24%.
Wrapping Up: Leveraging Volunteer Statistics to Grow Impact
Statistics don’t always tell the whole story, but they can provide insights that inform the scenarios you see play out at your nonprofit. Use these volunteer statistics as a general guide for assessing your volunteer program rather than hard and fast rules about how you should engage, recruit, and manage the specific individuals involved with your nonprofit.
To learn more about volunteering and trends in the nonprofit space, check out these resources:
Leveraging Corporate Volunteer Incentives
Your donors are unlikely to know about matching gifts unless your nonprofit promotes these giving programs to them.
Check out our resources to learn how you can effectively market matching gift programs to donors via multiple channels.
How to Market Volunteer Grants to Your Supporters
Many companies offer a matching gift program (65% of Fortune 500 companies do!), but some outshine the rest.
Double the Donation has compiled a list of the top 20 companies with standout matching gift programs in the United States.
The Ultimate Guide to Volunteer Time Off
Matching gift programs are just one of the many types of corporate philanthropy initiatives that companies have.
If you’re interested in learning about the importance of corporate philanthropy, read the following article!
Sources
[1] Double the Donation’s Volunteer Time Off Statistics
[2] Nonprofit’s Source’s Volunteering Statistics And Trends For Nonprofits
[3] Philanthropy Roundtable’s Statistics on U.S. Generosity
[4] National Council of Nonprofits’ New Data and Research on Volunteers
[5] Sterling Volunteers’ Why Volunteers Give Their Time
[6] Rosterfy’s 25 Interesting Volunteer Statistics
[7] TeamStage’s Volunteering Statistics for 2024
[8] AmeriCorps’ State Trends Over Time
[9] Candid’s Philanthropy News Digest Volunteerism Study
[10] Double the Donation’s Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics
[11] Galaxy Digital’s 10 Corporate Volunteerism Statistics for Companies
[12] Gov.UK’s Community Life Survey 2021/22
[13] America’s Charities’ Snapshot Employer Research
[14] Benevity’s Talent Retention Study
[15] Double the Donation’s Volunteerism Trends in 2024
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