The Volunteering in America report was just published by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Its   2009 findings contain good news: despite the economic downturn, when non profit organizations (NPOs) were especially vulnerable (many on the verge of collapse) volunteers came through in higher numbers. In fact, the increase in volunteers serving in 2009 versus 2008 was 1.6 million! That’s the largest single-year increase since 2003.

• The rate of volunteering was up to 26.8% from 26.4% in 2008
• 8.1 billion hours of service were given by 63.4 million volunteers
• Total estimated dollar value of services volunteered: $169 billion,

Interestingly, the huge increase was because women, married individuals, and people working full-time volunteered in larger numbers than before. The biggest group increase was the full-time worker, so it seems that Americans answered the call to serve, even though their own economic situation might have been affected by the recession.

Women continue to volunteer at higher rates than men—in fact working mothers have the highest volunteer rates. African Americans are also increasing their volunteer efforts, up .9% from 2008 to 2009—and up 1.6% for African American women.

The four most popular activities for volunteers:

• Fundraising 26.6%
• Collecting or distributing food 23.5%
• Providing labor or transportation 20.5%
• Tutoring or teaching 19%

For the fifth straight year, Utah topped the list of volunteers by state:

• Utah 44.2%
• Iowa 37.8%
• Minnesota 37.5%
• Nebraska 37.4%
• Alaska 37.3%

The Corporation for National and Community Service and the White House launched a huge volunteer-recruiting effort, including the http://www.Serve.gov website, to make it easier for individuals to find volunteer opportunities in their communities.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that hosts a comprehensive website at www.NationalService.gov. The Volunteering in America report is a partnership between the Corporation for National and Community Service, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Bureau for Labor Statistics. At www.VolunteeringInAmerica.gov, you can find loads of data and detailed information about volunteer activities in all 50 states and 200 metro areas.