The history of volunteering in the U.S. is a long and generous one from helping out neighbors in barn raising two centuries
ago to Habitat for Humanity and similar charities building homes today. And, of course, volunteering is not just
about building structures but can address everything from delivering meals to the elderly to educating children.
While the personal benefits and joys of providing this assistance are very real for participants, it can be difficult
to quantify. There is, however, an estimated dollar value of a volunteer hour. This past week,
Independent Sector, the national nonprofit membership organization, in conjunction with IMPLAN, a provider of
economic impact analysis software, announced that the
value of the volunteer hour in the United States is $24.69 per hour which is up 2.2 percent from the previous
year.
As further noted by Independent Sector, 63 million Americans volunteer about 8 billion hours to a variety of charitable
organizations. IS also produced a state-by-state chart of volunteer data that is available
here.
BBB Wise Giving Alliance encourages potential volunteers to find out more about the charity before volunteering and visit
Give.org to verify if the subject charity meets the
BBB Standards for Charity Accountability
. In addition, we offer the following tips:
Volunteers are usually welcomed throughout the year, so don’t wait until the holiday giving season before offering a
helping hand.
Video of the Week
As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to provide a video featuring Cyndi Zagieboylo, President and
CEO, of the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society (a
BBB Accredited Charity) which funds research into the causes, treatments, and a cure of MS. The organization
also provides education and support to people with MS, their families and caregivers; provides education and training
for healthcare professionals who treat people living with MS; and provides direct financial assistance to people
living with multiple sclerosis.
Recent Reports
We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit
Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:
Finally, remember to let us know by going to
https://www.give.org/ask-us-about-a-charity1/ if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity
not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.
H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
