Volunteering Trending Up in the United States
According to a new report by The Federal Agency for Service and Volunteering, indicates a trend toward more volunteers and more hours volunteered in the U.S. In 2011, 64.3 million Americans volunteered for a formal organization. That’s an increase of 1.5 million over 2010, for the highest level in five years.
Collectively, 7.85 billion hours were volunteered, with an economic value of $171 billion. All told, 26.8% of Americans volunteered in 2011.
Overwhelmingly, Americans volunteered in schools or with other youth organizations. Parents with children under 18 years of age volunteer in larger numbers, by fundraising, collecting and distributing food, mentoring youth, and tutoring or teaching.
The top states for the percentage of residents volunteering are:
- Utah (40.9%)
- Idaho (38.8%)
- Iowa (38.4%)
- Minnesota (38%)
- South Dakota (36.8%)
It looks like the good people of the Midwest are more active in volunteering than the rest of the nation. To find out how your state ranked, go here.
Another report out this week from the Peace Corps lists the top 10 home states of Peace Corps volunteers:
- California (1,084)
- New York (448)
- Texas (381)
- Washington (378)
- Illinois (352)
- Florida (351)
- Pennsylvania (330)
- Michigan (316)
- Virginia (303)
- Ohio (291)
However, in terms of per-capita volunteers, the District of Columbia, Vermont, Oregon, Washington, New Hampshire, Colorado, Montana, Maine, Minnesota and Idaho are the top 10 states.
If you’re in charge of volunteers who work with children, the elderly, at-risk populations or the public, be sure to conduct volunteer screening. Find out who your volunteers really are, whether they are sex offenders, have criminal backgrounds or are a risk to your organization and clients.
Tags: Volunteering in America