How Donating & Volunteering Will Improve The Community

How Donating & Volunteering Will Improve The Community

Marcus Belgrove
CEO/President of YSMF

We've come up with four simple ways that donating and volunteering can improve the community. There are different aspects of how we can improve the community through service. Safer communities are built by bringing people as volunteers together. It’s also healthy socially, by promoting communication between groups that might not usually come together, but will for the greater good.

Volunteering and donating also builds bridges between small businesses, large corporations, local, state, federal governments, citizens, and residents. Think about the many changes that can occur, and the power that can be harnessed, and the equity that will be established to further rebuild and improve on America's decimated communities. When these sectors combine ideas, capital, resources, and strategy to accomplish goals the results are very beneficial.

How Much Money Are we Talking?

• Overall, the volunteer rate remained steady as 62.6 million Americans volunteered 7.8 billion hours last year. Based on the Independent Sector's estimate of the average value of a volunteer hour ($23.56 in 2015), the estimated value of this volunteer service is nearly $184 billion.
• Volunteers have 27 percent higher odds of finding a job after being out of work than non-volunteers, possibly due to developing new skills and expanding personal networks.
• Volunteers are almost twice as likely to donate to charity as non-volunteers. Nearly 80% of volunteers donated to charity, compared to 40 percent of non-volunteers. Overall, half of all Americans donated at least $25 to charity in 2015.
• Generation X had the highest volunteer rate of the all age groups at 29%, but the Silent Generation (75 and older) had the highest median hours among volunteer at 100+. Millennial volunteering ticked up slightly to 22% in 2015.
• Over the past 14 years, Americans volunteered 113 billion hours, estimated to be worth $2.3 trillion. We urge you to volunteer with your family and friends this holiday season and into the New Year. To find local volunteer opportunities, visit Serve.gov.

There are several nonprofits that partner with various sectors to advance the community. For instance, Habitat for Humanity. Which is a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in approximately 70 countries. 

• There are 1.6 million tax-exempt organizations in the United States – this includes all 501(c) designations from churches and cultural centers to food banks and disaster relief organizations.
• The nonprofit sector – 10 percent of the American workforce or 11.4 million jobs – is the third largest workforce in the U.S., behind retail and manufacturing.
• Americans are generous. Total charitable giving in the U.S. in 2016 was about $390 billion, a 2.7 percent increase from 2015.
• Approximately 63 million Americans — 25 percent of the adult population — volunteer their time, talents, and energy to making a difference.
• The 2016 national value of volunteer time is $24.14 per hour. In other words, Americans contribute $193 billion of their time to our communities.

The States We Serve 

Economic Impact of the California Nonprofit Sector

• Employs 1,112,268 – about 7.8% of the state’s workforce
• Generates more than $208.5 billion in annual revenues
• Holds assets of $328.3 billion
• California foundations annually give almost $8.3 billion
• Californians give over $25 billion to charity each year, representing 2.79 percent of household income

Economic Impact of the Florida Nonprofit Sector

• Employs 534,116 people, 6.2% of the state’s workforce
• Generates nearly $90 billion in annual revenues
• Holds assets of nearly $206 billion
• Florida foundations annually give over $1.7 billion
• Floridians give $11.1 billion to charity each year, representing 3.4 percent of household income

Economic Impact of the Pennsylvania Nonprofit Sector

• Employs 790,368- over 15% of the state’s workforce
• Generates almost $132 billion in annual revenues
• Holds assets of $306.3 billion
• Pennsylvania foundations annually give over $2.4 billion
• Pennsylvanians give almost $6.5 billion to charity each year, representing 2.68% of household income

Volunteering helps to increase voter turnout and spurs political participation. When citizens are engaged change happens rapidly! When you start connecting and socializing with the local people you become more involved in the policies that created the problems or solutions. Volunteering also brings empathy for your fellow neighbors and that translates to better care, healthcare choices, and more funding for those in need in the community. 

Sourced​: https://independentsector.org
Sourced:https://www.nationalservice.gov/vcla/research