Press Release – (WASHINGTON, April 19, 2018) – Today, Independent Sector, in partnership with IMPLAN, announces that the latest value of a volunteer hour is $24.69 – up 2.2 percent from the previous year. That figure, estimated from data collected in 2017, shows the incredible contributions volunteers make to our communities and our country.
Currently, 63 million Americans volunteer about 8 billion hours of their time and talent to improve people’s lives and the natural world. With the new value of volunteer time, these Americans are contributing approximately $197.5 billion to our nation.
“In a time where individuals and groups in civil society must be increasingly thoughtful about how we use resources to serve our communities, Americans continue to demonstrate an inspiring and savvy commitment to collective, voluntary action on behalf of others,” said Dan Cardinali, president and CEO of Independent Sector. “We know that giving of our time, talent, and effort has an outsized effect in moving the needle for good, and the value of volunteer time is just one small, concrete way of representing that impact.”
The release of this important figure comes during National Volunteer Week, a program of Points of Light, held April 15-21, 2018. Organizations are encouraged to celebrate service and honor the millions of people who give back to their communities.
In addition to the national figure, there is a state-level breakdown for the new value of volunteer time. To access state-by-state values of volunteer time and learn more about the national figure, visit independentsector.org/volunteer-time.
