62.8 million Americans gave back in a way that makes the differece. The "Volunteering and Civic Life in America" report displays who they are, how, when and where they engage in the non for profit word.
The volunteer rate remained steady as 62.8 million Americans volunteered 7.9 billion hours last year. Based on the Independent Sector’s estimate of the average value of a volunteer hour ($23.07 in 2014), the estimated value of this volunteer service is nearly $184 billion.
Volunteers have 27% higher odds of finding a job after being out of work than non-volunteers, possibly due to developing new skills and expanding personal networks.
Volunteers are almost twice as likely to donate to charity as non-volunteers. Nearly 80% of volunteers donated to charity, compared to 40 percent of non-volunteers. Overall, half of all Americans donated at least $25 to charity in 2014.
Over the past 13 years, Americans volunteered 104.9 billion hours, estimated to be worth $2.1 trillion.
Generation X had the highest volunteer rate of all age groups at 30%, but the Silent Generation (75 and older) had the highest median hours among volunteer at 100 while 1 in 5 Millennials volunteered in 2014.
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give
Americans volunteered most frequently with religious groups, education or youth-services groups, and social or community groups.
Women volunteered more than men, at rates of 28.8 percent and 22.5 percent, respectively.
Utah was the state with the highest volunteerism rate. It was followed by Idaho, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Kansas.
The metropolitan area with the most volunteer-minded population was Salt Lake City. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, Charlotte, and Rochester rounded out the top five.
Read the full report here
Here additional inputs and quotes from the non for profit protagonists.
