Volunteerism in United States

United States

Volunteering is a form of civic participation that can improve individual, community and societal health. Additionally, civic participation can expand an individual's social network and increase their social capital, which may lead to more employment opportunities.

Data from multiple studies show an average 22% reduction in mortality among those who volunteer compared with those who do not. Volunteers have a lower risk of high blood pressure and are less likely to have obesity. Those who volunteer also experience mental health benefits, including reduced depression and increased life satisfaction and well-being. Volunteering may have particular benefits for older adults. There is emerging evidence that seniors who volunteer regularly have fewer cognitive complaints and a lower prevalence of mild to moderate dementia than seniors who do not volunteer regularly.

Americans continued to perform community service throughout the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. An estimated 60.7 million people in the United States formally volunteered between September 2020 and September 2021. Altogether, volunteers served 4.1 billion hours, worth approximately $123 billion in economic value.

Populations more likely to participate in organized volunteer work include:

• Women. 
• Parents.
• Adults with higher education degrees compared with adults with less than a college education.
• Those with internet access compared with those without it. However, volunteers without internet access devote more time to volunteering.

The U.S. government has multiple programs to organize opportunities for potential volunteers, including AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Citizen Corps and poll worker positions. Government opportunities are listed on Volunteer.gov. These programs have been shown to increase adult volunteering, even after exiting the program.

Schools, jobs or community organizations can also encourage or require volunteering. Volunteer requirements in high school increase the odds of adult volunteering. More corporations have begun offering employees paid time off to volunteer, which has the added benefit of improving employee retention and satisfaction. 

Many nonprofit organizations rely on volunteers. Online advertising gives these organizations a powerful tool to find and encourage people to volunteer.

Healthy People 2030 identifies volunteering as a form of civic participation, one of the social determinants of health.

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Burr, Jeffrey A., Jane Tavares, and Jan E. Mutchler. “Volunteering and Hypertension Risk in Later Life.” Journal of Aging and Health 23, no. 1 (February 2011): 24–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264310388272.

“Corporation for National and Community Service: 2017 State of the Evidence Annual Report.” Washington, D.C.: Corporation for National and Community Service, Office of Research and Evaluation, 2017. https://americorps.gov/sites/default/files/evidenceexchange/FR_2017%20State%20of%20the%20Evidence%20Report_1.pdf.

Griep, Yannick, Linda Magnusson Hanson, Tim Vantilborgh, Laurens Janssens, Samantha K. Jones, and Martin Hyde. “Can Volunteering in Later Life Reduce the Risk of Dementia? A 5-Year Longitudinal Study among Volunteering and Non-Volunteering Retired Seniors.” Edited by Gianluigi Forloni. PLOS ONE 12, no. 3 (March 16, 2017): e0173885. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0173885.

Hart, Daniel, Thomas M. Donnelly, James Youniss, and Robert Atkins. “High School Community Service as a Predictor of Adult Voting and Volunteering.” American Educational Research Journal 44, no. 1 (March 1, 2007): 197–219. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831206298173.

Jenkinson, Caroline E., Andy P. Dickens, Kerry Jones, Jo Thompson-Coon, Rod S. Taylor, Morwenna Rogers, Clare L. Bambra, Iain Lang, and Suzanne H. Richards. “Is Volunteering a Public Health Intervention? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Health and Survival of Volunteers.” BMC Public Health 13, no. 1 (August 23, 2013): 773. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-773.

Kim, Saerom, Chang-yup Kim, and Myoungsoon You. “Civic Participation and Self-Rated Health: A Cross-National Multilevel Analysis Using World Value Survey.” Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, January 27, 2015. https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.14.031.

Piatak, Jaclyn, Nathan Dietz, and Brice McKeever. “Bridging or Deepening the Digital Divide: Influence of Household Internet Access on Formal and Informal Volunteering:” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Special Issue: Exploring the Dimensions of Volunteering, 48, no. 2_suppl (August 23, 2018): 123S-150SS. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764018794907.