How Volunteerism is Changing

Community Service has been a compulsory part of growing up in the United States for at least two generations. Kids track service hours for nearly every extracurricular activity, secular or spiritual. It should come as no surprise, then, that mandating volunteerism is changing volunteers.

Volunteer Rates Have Dropped

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than a quarter of Americans volunteer their time. Less than one in five young adults (Age 25-34) volunteer. This rate is not surprising for several reasons.

First, young adults are in the early stages of their careers, marriage, and parenthood. Their time is spread thin, which leaves little time to invest in their community. They are investing their time in themselves, an investment they expect to yield rewards later in life.

Second, and perhaps more justifiable, this group is fresh from the Volun-Told programs of their youth, where service hours are accumulated at every turn. They are burned out and need time to recover.

Volunteer Life-Spans Are Shorter

Although the average number of years an employee remains at his or her job has been steady for a decade, those same employees make changes in their volunteer life much more quickly. Volunteer Retention averages 62% since 2011, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Competition for Volunteers Is Fierce

Because the volunteer pool continues to shrink and turn over, competition for volunteers is as fierce as ever. Less than ten percent of Americans volunteer for more than two organizations at a time. This fact means that your organization has the daunting challenge of being the first or second choice of a volunteer.

If brand awareness is the space you occupy in the consumer’s mind, the likelihood a volunteer will choose your organization may depend on your brand awareness.

Volunteer Expectations Have Changed

People who volunteer expect a positive experience. The next generation of volunteers expect depth in that experience as well. They have picked up trash since they were in Kindergarten. By Third Grade, they were done. Don’t blindly assign them the next item on your task list; ask volunteers what they’d like to get from their time. Perhaps a volunteer is a skilled photographer who can build a collection of images for your marketing efforts. Team together similar skill sets so volunteers can collaborate (another common trait among new volunteers).

It is one thing to provide a good use of time.

Are you providing a meaningful use of time?