Americans Say Charities Need Volunteers More Than Money

Half of adult Americans think that volunteering their time is more important than giving money to charity, according to a new survey by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a Minneapolis financial-services organization.

Fifty percent of 1,000 respondents to the survey identified volunteer work as more important than giving money, while 22 percent viewed monetary donations as more important than giving time.

A majority of young adults — 58 percent of those ages 18 to 34 — saw volunteering as more important than donating money, while just 29 percent of respondents 65 and older believed that volunteering was more important than giving money. The same percentage of older respondents — 29 percent — said that money was the most important gift an individual could give to charity. Only 23 percent of young adults agreed with that view.

Despite their different points of view on charity, young Americans and people 65 and older volunteered at about the same levels last year, the survey found. Forty-four percent of young adults reported volunteering during the previous 12 months, while 39 percent of older Americans did.

About half of adults ages 35 to 64 said they volunteered last year, the survey found.

Volunteerism tends to increase with income and education levels, the survey found. And individuals who regularly attend religious services are more likely to volunteer than those who do not, according to the survey’s results.

Harris Interactive conducted the survey from November 20 to December 4. Results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Copies of the survey are available at http://www.thrivent.com/newsroom/news/index.phtml?id=176, or by contacting Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, 625 Fourth Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn. 55415-1624; (800) 847-4836.