Good News for Volunteering!
The annual Volunteering in America Report from the Corporation for National and Community Service reveals the biggest spike in volunteering since 2003. The report found that 63.4 million Americans volunteered last year, an increase of 1.6 million volunteers from 2008. Together, those 63.4 million volunteers donated over 8.1 billion hours of their time, worth an estimated $169 billion.
Here at VolunteerSpot, we’re thrilled to be supporting the growing movement of volunteers and making it easier for more people to get involved in their communities. We recognize and celebrate ALL our volunteers and want to give an extra special shout to our super moms out there! Whether it's at school, sports, church, Scouts, or local charities, you can bet a mom is right there, helping the program run smoothly. Women were found to have higher volunteer rates than men across the country, and the report found that working mothers have the highest volunteer rates of all Americans. Go working moms!!!
The entire country is increasing their volunteering efforts, volunteer rates went up among both men and women, as well as all race and ethnic groups. While previous research would suggest that volunteer rates should fall during tough economic times, it appears that the opposite was true for volunteering during 2009. Americans have realized that they are facing a truly difficult time within our nation, and they are working together to provide the help that is needed to find solutions to real problems.
The press release for the report includes a more in-depth look at the meaning of the results, and a video that describes the report in detail. Below are highlights from the 2010 report.
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2010 Report Highlights
Key Findings and State/City Profiles:- Overall 63.4 million Americans (age 16 and older) volunteered in
2009, an increase of almost 1.6 million since 2008.This is the first
significant increase in the volunteer rate and the largest single year
increase in the volunteer numbers since 2003.
- For the fifth year in a row, Utah was the top volunteer state
with a volunteer rate of 44.2%, followed by Iowa (37.8%), Minnesota
(37.5%), Nebraska (37.4%), and Alaska (37.3%). Iowa climbed from
the 5th ranked state last year to the 2nd this year.
- Minneapolis-St. Paul once again ranked number one among large
cities at 37.4%, followed by Portland, OR (37.1%), Salt Lake City, UT
(35.8%), Seattle, WA (34.9%), and Oklahoma City, OK (33.9%).
- Mid-size cities, particularly those in the Midwest, have on
average higher volunteer rates than large cities, and residents of
mid-size cities contribute more hours to volunteering.
- Among 75 mid-sized cities, Provo, Utah, led the nation for the third year in a row with a whopping 63.6 percent volunteer rate, followed by Iowa City (50.0%), Ogden, UT (47.7%), Fort Collins, CO (40.7%) and Madison, WI (40.0%).
- Women again volunteered at higher rates then men. Working mothers have the highest volunteer rates.
- Rates increased among African Americans, especially women, this year more than among other groups. The rate of volunteerism among African Americans climbed from 19.1% in 2008 to 20.0% in 2009, and increased by 1.6% among African American women.
- The research found that higher rates of homeownership, lower rates
of foreclosure, shorter average commute times, more robust nonprofit
infrastructure, lower poverty rates, and higher education levels are
all related to higher rates of volunteering.
- Factors such as the prevalence of multi-unit housing, higher poverty rates, and longer commuting times are associated with lower volunteer rates.
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A big thank you is in order for all of those people who donate their time to help their neighbors, their community and their country.
THANK YOU!
Resources for Volunteers
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