Amid Funding Cuts, Rising Volunteerism Offers Hope for Struggling Nonprofits

When Cassy Cox started as the executive director of Global Newborn Solutions last May, she was the first person to hold that position full-time . She knew that to build the organization, which works to prevent child deaths globally and provides products that prevent child deaths, she would have to recruit reliable volunteers with a range of professional skills. 

She turned to volunteers that she’d found through the Taproot Foundation, which connects nonprofits to highly skilled volunteers from more than 45 companies. Volunteers helped revamp the organization’s website and took on other tasks. Cox had worked in global development for more than a decade at organizations like Concern Worldwide and knew that the Global Newborn Solutions mission might appeal to many of the people who were laid off after the Trump administration dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development. In turn, she helped volunteers by providing things like recommendations on LinkedIn to boost their careers and job searches.

Cox is among the nonprofit leaders who believe that volunteers will be critical to helping nonprofits remain lean and nimble in these financially uncertain times. Right now, it’s about learning to operate in “constant chaos,” she said.

Most nonprofit leaders rely on volunteers — about 75 percent of them, according to Independent Sector. However, volunteer numbers have been declining for several years. During the pandemic, the percentage of people formally volunteering fell, reaching 23.2 percent in 2021, the lowest level recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps in nearly two decades. 

But that trend is starting to reverse itself. The percentage of people volunteering grew to 28 percent, or 75.7 million people, from September 2022 to September 2023, the agencies found.  

Last year, there were slight increases in volunteer rates, especially around events like GivingTuesday and the government shutdown. And the demand for pro bono help has only increased in the past year as federal funding has diminished. This year, nonprofits should do more to harness that momentum and keep their communities engaged, says Jennifer Sirangelo, CEO of Points of Light, a volunteerism advocacy group created by former President George H.W. Bush.

Across the country in 2025, there were examples of people offering help within their communities, whether it was to those affected by the wildfires in Southern California or laid-off workers or people whose food assistance benefits were disrupted by the government shutdown, she said. Boston Cares, a volunteer organization affiliated with Points of Light, gained nearly 500 new volunteers last year — a 22 percent increase over 2024. That is heartening coming after a yearlong decline in volunteerism across the country, Sirangelo said. And she is part of a national campaign to boost volunteering even higher in 2026.

“What we’re looking at may be the beginnings of a cultural shift,” she said.

Volunteerism Gains Momentum

Recent data from groups tracking volunteerism shows levels have steadied and, in some cases, improved. During GivingTuesday on December 2, there was a 20 percent increase in volunteering, with 11.1 million people volunteering compared with 9.2 million in 2024. From October 1 through December 31, approximately 14 percent of Americans reported volunteering in the previous seven days, a higher number than in the two previous years, according to GivingTuesday.

“While 2025 did not substantially exceed 2023 levels on an annual basis, the strong performance in the fourth quarter of 2025 suggests positive momentum heading into 2026,” a GivingTuesday spokesperson wrote in an email to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

1% Percent for the Planet, a Vermont-based global nonprofit that helps businesses donate to environmental causes, also saw a significant increase in volunteerism this year, said CEO Kate Williams.

1% for the Planet is a membership organization with just under 5,000 corporate members that have committed to donating at least 1 percent of their annual sales revenue to environmental groups. It allows businesses to count employee volunteer time toward that commitment. 

In 2025, 1% for the Planet certified 37,500 hours of volunteer time, up 13 percent from the previous year, she said. 

“These are businesses that are not backing off their commitments,” she said. “They’re just working with their nonprofit partners to provide support in different ways.” 

More charitable organizations have sought pro bono expertise in recent months, according to the Taproot Foundation. Nonprofits seeking support increased 92 percent to 3,528 last year, according to Taproot’s data. At the same time, volunteer applications rose to 4,592 last year, a 46 percent increase from the previous year, the group said. Nonprofits have sought volunteer help from the group with marketing, accounting, graphic design, and human resources in recent months

“We have been flooded with interest,” said Cat Ward, Taproot’s CEO.

The word is out that the sector has been disrupted and there is recognition that the funding gaps cannot be totally filled with philanthropy, she said. At the same time, volunteering has become a salve for people exhausted by national political divides and an outlet for people who have lost jobs in the past year and are looking for ways back into the labor market, she said.

“I think we’re seeing promising data that indicates that service can be a third space for folks with structure and purpose,” she said. “You get to create something real with lasting outcomes.”

A Big Push for Volunteers in 2026

A new national campaign to get more Americans to volunteer is aligning itself with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

Several nonprofits, including Points of Light, are working with the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, created by Congress to lead the 250th anniversary celebration, in its efforts to get more Americans to volunteer. Earlier this month, the commission, also known as America250, launched the America Gives initiative with the aim of turning 2026 into the biggest year for volunteering in U.S. history.

“It challenges businesses, nonprofits, schools, youth groups, and faith-based networks and organizations to commit to increasing their level of volunteering and impact,” said America250 chair, Rosie Rios.

America Gives is being funded by companies like Walmart and Coca-Cola and is done in partnership with AmeriCorps, Boys & Girls Club of America, Girls Scouts of the USA, Points of Light, the Taproot Foundation, and the Salvation Army, among others. Its work comes at a critical moment for nonprofits, many of which were deeply affected by federal funding cuts last year.  Using the anniversary as a catalyst, Points of Light wants to double American volunteerism by 2035. Volunteering has benefits that run far deeper than simply helping a nonprofit, said Sirangelo of America Gives. “There’s a collective impact that changes who we are as a country,” she said. “It changes our communities and our society, building empathy, building social connections, belonging, and bridging divides.”