A new report released by the Corporation for National and Community Service finds that even during a time of prolonged economic recession, volunteering has remained steady, fueled by a compassion boom led by young adults and a wave of do-it-yourself volunteers working with their neighbors to fix problems. Volunteering in America 2009 found that 61.8 million Americans volunteered through an organization in 2008, up one million from the previous year. America's volunteers dedicated more than eight billion hours of service in 2008, worth an estimated $162 billion. While the formal volunteering rate in America remained relatively stable at 26.4 percent, other less-formal ways of serving in communities have dramatically increased. The number of people who worked with their neighbors to fix a community problem rose by 31 percent, from 15.2 million in 2007 to 19.9 million in 2008.
Despite the growth in the national average, New York ranked 51st among the 50 states and Washington, DC, with 19.2% of adults who volunteered in New York in 2008, contributing 437.5 million hours of service. In addition to the 2.9 million adults in New York volunteering in 2008, an additional 397,180 individuals worked with their neighbors to fix a problem or improve a condition in their community, but did not serve through an organization. Except for fundraising, the rates for the top volunteer activities in New York were below the national average: fundraising (28.9% in New York vs. 26.9% national); collecting and distributing food (19.4% vs. 23.6%); providing professional/management services (16.3% vs. 17.3%); and tutoring or teaching (15.1% vs. 19.7%).
The report also found an increase in volunteering by young adults (age 16-24), rising from 7.8 million in 2007 to 8.2 million in 2008. The finding aligns with other indicators suggesting a strong service ethic among the millennial generation, including a 217% increase in applications to AmeriCorps over the past eight months.
"Driven by young adults and neighbors with a do-it yourself spirit, Americans are responding to tough times by reaching out to help others in need," said Nicola Goren, acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. "The need is great, the momentum is strong, and potential is unlimited for ushering in a new era of service in America."
To make it easier for Americans to volunteer, the Corporation for National and Community Service worked with the White House to launch www.serve.gov, where organizations can post their needs, and potential volunteers can find local opportunities simply by entering their zip codes. The site includes do-it-yourself toolkits with instructions for finding and filling local needs, and a blog featuring stories of service from people all across the country.
report can be downloaded at no charge from the Gain Knowledge area of the Foundation Center's website.