The 2010 volunteering statistics for the US were released this week. Accompanying them came glowing press releases celebrating the estimated 62.8 million US adults who provided almost 8.1 billion hours through organizations in 2010. This is exciting and commendable.
I have, however, a few points of concern/interest which may not appear widely in the media which has been awed by the big numbers.
Volunteering Rates in the USA are continuing to fall
Volunteering rates dropped from 26.8 percent in 2009 to 26.3 percent in 2010.
The number of US Baby Boomers volunteering has now fallen by 4.3 million people in 8 years. And I still hear people saying: "the baby boomers are coming..when they retire they will flood our agencies with help." Hello! The number of hours given annually by Baby Boomers has fallen by almost 20 per cent in that time. So where are these retirees??? Mmmm.
Other Generations
I have, however, a few points of concern/interest which may not appear widely in the media which has been awed by the big numbers.
Volunteering Rates in the USA are continuing to fall
Volunteering rates dropped from 26.8 percent in 2009 to 26.3 percent in 2010.
Excuse me?
In the greatest recession the USAhas known for two generations, volunteering dropped? Yup-Its the continuation (with a couple of small rises) of an eight year downward trend. In 2003 28.3% volunteered.
Consider the following in the decade:
Consider the following in the decade:
- We have never seen so much marketing of volunteering from the President of the USA to corporate to the media...that should produce an increase?
- We are told that the need for volunteers across the USA is greater than ever.
- The number of available unemployed is up and the number of people being told to volunteer to build resumes is up. If half of the unemployed were volunteering that should have resulted in 3 million more volunteers.
- There are 17 million people more in the USA than there were a decade ago. That means there should have been an increase of 4.25 million volunteers in a decade?
- There has been a huge number of resources put into supporting volunteering
Can we have some research as to why people are disconnecting?
Are the volunteering opportunities available too dull?
Is the USA not actually needing more volunteers?
Are people not finding it easy to find opportunities?
Is volunteering too hard to access?
What needs to happen to reverse these declines?
Fewer Baby Boomers are volunteering and they are doing it for less time
Are the volunteering opportunities available too dull?
Is the USA not actually needing more volunteers?
Are people not finding it easy to find opportunities?
Is volunteering too hard to access?
What needs to happen to reverse these declines?
Fewer Baby Boomers are volunteering and they are doing it for less time
Other Generations
- 100 000 more seniors over 65 volunteered in 2010 compared to 2009. The percentage of volunteers from this generation has remained constant however which indicates that volunteering is only keeping pace with population- volunteer marketing and targeted senior volunteering programs are not successfully engaging increased number of seniors
- 300 000 more Gen X volunteers (born 1965-1968) volunteered in 2010 - most of their volunteering is linked to issues closely connected to their families. eg church, education and sport but not arts, civic volunteering or hospitals
- 800 000 more Gen Yers volunteered- the number of volunteers from this generation has almost doubled in eight years- a staggering increase. The question, of course, is how much of this increase is linked to compulsory programs in schools and colleges
Volunteer time still undervalued
The research values the 8 billion hours of volunteer time at $173 billion using Independent Sector’s estimate of the dollar value of volunteer time. We of course know that some of that time is worth far far more. I was talking to a woman today who donated her time to lead a committee that raised $300 000 for a charity. Is her time worth just $20 an hour?
Comments?
