Value of volunteer service estimated at $27.20/hour
| Published date | 01 September 2020 |
| Date | 01 September 2020 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/nba.30836 |
NONPROFIT BUSINESS ADVISOR SEPTEMBER 2020
6© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC • All rights reserved
DOI: 10.1002/nba
Industry News
Value of volunteer service estimated at $27.20/hour
The latest analysis of U.S. economic data conduct-
ed by the Independent Sector puts the average value
of volunteer service in 2019 at $27.20 per hour, an
increase of $1.77 from 2018 levels and a much greater
increase than the 74-cent increase logged from 2017
to 2018. Since the IS began tracking this data in 2001,
the value of volunteer service has risen $10.93 per
hour, the organization said.
To calculate the gure, the IS traditionally collects
data on the hourly earnings of all production and
nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls,
based on yearly earnings provided by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. The latest value was calculated by the
University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute, and was
calculated with BOL statistics using a new method to
adjust the hourly value for fringe benets, the IS said.
The organization also makes adjustments to de-
termine state-level values as well. For 2019, the value
of volunteer service ranged from a high of $44.14
for the District of Columbia to a low of $20.95 for
Mississippi. The DC region has long held the top
spot, placing well ahead of number 2 on the list
this year, Washington state. All states saw increases
year-over-year.
According to the IS, calculating an accurate dollar
value for volunteer service is difcult because volun-
teers provide many intangible benets that are not
easily quantied, such as demonstrating the amount
of support an organization has within a community,
providing work for short periods and providing sup-
port on a wide range of projects.
But the numbers offer useful insights on the to-
tal economic value of volunteer service to the U.S.
economy. According to data released in 2018 by the
Corporation for National and Community Service,
about 77.4 million people in the United States volun-
teered about 6.9 billion hours. With the new estimated
value of volunteer time, these community champions
are contributing approximately $187.7 billion to our
nation, the IS said. The value of volunteer services can also be used
by nonprots on certain nancial forms, including
statements, grant proposals and annual reports, so
long as the volunteer is performing a specialized skill
for the nonprot, the organization said.
To access the state-by-state data on the value of
volunteer service, go to https://bit.ly/2ONnOac. ■
2019 value of volunteer service
According to an analysis of U.S. labor and
salary data conducted by the Independent Sector,
the dollar value of volunteer service for 2019, for
all 50 U.S. states as well as Washington D.C., is
as follows:
Alabama $23.52
Alaska $28.19
Arizona $25.67
Arkansas $21.57
California $31.51
Colorado $29.50
Connecticut $32.07
Delaware $26.17
District of Columbia
$44.14
Florida $24.93
Georgia $25.86
Hawaii $27.98
Idaho $22.54
Illinois $27.98
Indiana $24.85
Iowa $24.03
Kansas $24.70
Kentucky $22.18
Louisiana $23.51
Maine $24.21
Maryland $29.51
Massachusetts $32.96
Michigan $25.79
Minnesota $29.44
Mississippi $20.95
Missouri $24.65
Montana $23.66
Nebraska $24.97
Nevada $23.82
New Hampshire $26.23
New Jersey $29.49
New Mexico $22.31
New York $31.29
North Carolina $24.72
North Dakota $26.67
Ohio $24.60
Oklahoma $23.74
Oregon $26.39
Pennsylvania $25.41
Rhode Island $27.17
South Carolina $24.01
South Dakota $22.57
Tennessee $23.50
Texas $25.47
Utah $26.20
Vermont $25.18
Virginia $28.46
Washington $33.02
West Virginia $23.01
Wisconsin $25.66
Wyoming $25.53
Source: Independent Sector. ■
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