Value of Volunteer Time: 2007

Value of Volunteer TimeIndependent Sector is the leadership forum for charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs committed to advancing the common good in America and around the world.
2007 estimated dollar value of volunteer time: $19.51 per hour.

The estimate helps acknowledge the millions of individuals who
dedicate their time, talents, and energy to making a difference.
Charitable organizations can use this estimate to quantify the
enormous value volunteers provide.

Charts for:
1) Dollar Value of a Volunteer Hour: 1980 – 2007

2) Dollar Value of a Volunteer Hour, by State: 2006 *
~ Please note that 2006 is the latest year for which state-by-state numbers are available. There is a lag of almost one year in the government's release of state level data

Notes: The value of volunteer time is based on the average hourly earnings of all production and nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls (as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics). Independent Sector takes this figure and increases it by 12 percent to estimate for fringe benefits.

Other Reports of Interest

Volunteering in America: 2007 City Trends and Rankings (photo)by Corporation for National and Communtiy Service

~ uses volunteer data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2004-2006. It ranks and includes profiles for 50 of the largest cities including: volunteer rate, types of organizations, main volunteering activities, average hours per year, rates for age and gender and key trends and highlights. Some of their other reports:

~ Still Serving: Measuring the Eight-Year Impact of AmeriCorps on Alumni
~ AmeriCorps: Changing Lives, Changing America
~ The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research

Volunteering in the United States, 2007Bureau of Labor Statistics
About 60.8 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2006 and September 2007. The proportion of the population who volunteered was 26.2 %. This 0.5 % decrease in the volunteer rate follows a decline of 2.1 % points in the prior year. The volunteer rate had held constant at 28.8 % from 2003 thru 2005, after rising slightly from its 2002 level of 27.4 %.

Visit America's Literacy Directory to volunteer in literacy programs in your area.

Join Friends of Libraries USA and support your local library.

Find a volunteer opportunity in your community or nationwide @ Volunteer Match.