January 11, 2007 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Volunteerism rates have exploded in the past 30 years, especially among older Americans, according to a new analysis
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ALSO SEE: Table: Where Americans Volunteer: How Popularity of Causes has Changes, 1989-2005 Table: Percentage of Americans who Volunteer, by Age |
of data on unpaid work at the nation’s charities.
According to the study, the number of Americans who volunteer has increased by more than 32 percent since 1989. That rate had declined from 1974 to 1989.
Among people 65 and older, volunteering increased the most, with the number of volunteers in that age group rising by 64 percent since 1974.
The study, which analyzes data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that runs the AmeriCorps service program.
Among the other key findings of the study:
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People age 45 to 65 volunteer at higher rates than the previous generation did at that time in their lives.
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The portion of Americans volunteering at an educational or youth-service organization has increased by 63 percent since 1989.
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Teenagers — those age 16 to 19 — spend more than twice as much time volunteering as young people did in 1989.
Robert T. Grimm Jr., director of research and policy development at the service agency, cited several factors that may have contributed to the increase in volunteering.
More teenagers are volunteering as part of educational programs run by schools and colleges, he said. Also, he added, more middle-aged adults — many of whom delayed getting married and having children — are now involved in their children’s school activities, and more older Americans — who are living longer — are able to stay active and donate their time.
Mr. Grimm said if baby boomers, now in their mid-40s to age 60, continue to volunteer as much as they have in recent years, members of the generation will create a “service explosion” as they age, presenting a significant change for which organizations need to prepare.
The service agency is currently involved in a campaign to encourage more people to volunteer, and is working to make the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday an occasion on which Americans make it a tradition to volunteer.
David Eisner, chief executive of the service agency, said nonprofit groups should use the study’s findings as a signal to prepare for the emergence of what he calls a “bumper crop” of potential volunteers, led by young people. He suggested that charities need to re-engineer how they manage their volunteers.
“The core finding is one that should really stimulate a lot of optimism,” Mr. Eisner said. “We are seeing a tidal shift in volunteering that is likely to be lifting a lot of boats in the philanthropic bay. If we do what we need to do to cultivate this shift, I think we’ll be seeing, for the next generation, a very strong civic participation.”
The report, “Volunteer Growth in America: A Review of Trends Since 1974,” is available on the Web site of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
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WHERE AMERICANS VOLUNTEER: HOW POPULARITY OF CAUSES HAS CHANGES, 1989-2005
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