Delaware and Volunteerism: How Are We Doing?

Delaware and Volunteerism: How Are We Doing?

By Sheri Ackerman

With President Obama’s call to service encouraging volunteerism across the Nation, the subject is in the news now more than ever—there is even a TV ad campaign promising tickets to a Disney theme park to those who volunteer their time to qualifying organizations!

How does Delaware stack up?

Delaware ranks 37^th out of 51 (50 states and DC) in volunteering rates from 2006 to 2008. According to that data, less than 25% of Delawareans volunteer, below the National average of 26.4% and lagging far behind the nation’s top state, Utah (43.9%). While Delaware’s total number of volunteers rose only slightly from 2006 to 2008, its number of volunteer hours increased quite dramatically—in other words, during this time of economic crisis, Delaware’s volunteers were doing even more than before to help those in need.

Why aren’t people volunteering?

Sometimes, the problem isn’t that people don’t ever volunteer, but that they start and don’t continue. Today, over one-third of volunteers drop out of service each year, and do not volunteer the following year. As outlined in a paper called Pathways to Service, following were primary reasons given for why people never volunteer or start and drop out:

I have never been asked to volunteer by someone I trusted.
I do not have a lifestyle in common with most volunteers (the assumption among non-volunteers was that volunteers are retired people with no children and a lot of free time on their hands; the reality is that many people with jobs and kids also volunteer).
I don’t have time.
I don’t want to sign my life away and be committed forever.
I am afraid I’ll volunteer to do one small task and end up overburdened.
I had a bad experience with a previous organization. When I volunteered previously:
- I didn’t get any/adequate recognition for the work I did.
- I didn’t get adequate training for what I was supposed to be doing.
- My skills and abilities were badly matched to the task I was assigned.
- The organization was disorganized or badly managed.

Why should I volunteer?

Evidence suggests that volunteering has a positive effect on one’s sense of purpose which is, in turn, correlated with lower risks of poor physical health. Volunteering may enhance a person’s social networks, which can lower stress and reduce risk of disease. One report found that retirees who volunteered had higher rates of life satisfaction than retirees who continued to work for pay. Here are just a few of the benefits of volunteering: ·

Reduced rates of depression, especially in older people.
Increased trust in others.
Increased self-worth and sense of purpose.
A higher chance of a longer and healthier life.
Provides an opportunity to help those less fortunate than you.
Provides an opportunity to help a favorite cause or organization when you can’t afford to give a monetary donation.

Baby Boomers in their late 40s to mid-50s are volunteering at a higher rate than earlier generations did at the same age. At the same time, we see that the more hours per year that Boomers spend on volunteer activities, the more likely they are to continue to volunteer from year to year. Baby Boomers are a highly talented and motivated group who can help solve some of our most challenging social problems, including helping seniors live independently.

In Their Words

A few Delaware volunteers had this to say about why they volunteer:

“I get to volunteer in areas that are meaningful to me—like child literacy and animal welfare—and it feels great to know I’m making a difference in some small way.”

“Volunteering started as a means of getting to know my new community, but developed into a rewarding way to use my retirement time—I help organizations that affect the daily lives of many people.”

"I enjoy volunteering because I am helping someone and also giving back to the community where I live. I feel this is a blessing for me."

Resources

Want to know more? Following are documents used as source material for this article:

The Health Benefits of Volunteering http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/07_0506_hbr.pdf
Data on Volunteering in Delaware http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/DE
Volunteer Rates and Rankings http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/rankings.cfm
The National Profile in Volunteering Rates: http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/national
Pathways to Service: Learning from the potential volunteer’s perspective http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/assets/resources/PathwayToService.pdf

Contributed by Sheri Ackerman

Posted on Feb 23, 2010


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	What's New Delaware and Volunteerism: How Are We Doing? Topics: Volunteering Delaware and Volunteerism: How Are We Doing? By Sheri Ackerman With President Obama’s call to service encouraging volunteerism across the Nation, the subject is in the news now more than ever—there is even a TV ad campaign promising tickets to a Disney theme park to those who volunteer their time to qualifying organizations! How does Delaware stack up? Delaware ranks 37^th out of 51 (50 states and DC) in volunteering rates from 2006 to 2008. According to that data, less than 25% of Delawareans volunteer, below the National average of 26.4% and lagging far behind the nation’s top state, Utah (43.9%). While Delaware’s total number of volunteers rose only slightly from 2006 to 2008, its number of volunteer hours increased quite dramatically—in other words, during this time of economic crisis, Delaware’s volunteers were doing even more than before to help those in need. Why aren’t people volunteering? Sometimes, the problem isn’t that people don’t ever volunteer, but that they start and don’t continue. Today, over one-third of volunteers drop out of service each year, and do not volunteer the following year. As outlined in a paper called Pathways to Service, following were primary reasons given for why people never volunteer or start and drop out: I have never been asked to volunteer by someone I trusted. I do not have a lifestyle in common with most volunteers (the assumption among non-volunteers was that volunteers are retired people with no children and a lot of free time on their hands; the reality is that many people with jobs and kids also volunteer). I don’t have time. I don’t want to sign my life away and be committed forever. I am afraid I’ll volunteer to do one small task and end up overburdened. I had a bad experience with a previous organization. When I volunteered previously: I didn’t get any/adequate recognition for the work I did. I didn’t get adequate training for what I was supposed to be doing. My skills and abilities were badly matched to the task I was assigned. The organization was disorganized or badly managed. Why should I volunteer? Evidence suggests that volunteering has a positive effect on one’s sense of purpose which is, in turn, correlated with lower risks of poor physical health. Volunteering may enhance a person’s social networks, which can lower stress and reduce risk of disease. One report found that retirees who volunteered had higher rates of life satisfaction than retirees who continued to work for pay. Here are just a few of the benefits of volunteering: · Reduced rates of depression, especially in older people. Increased trust in others. Increased self-worth and sense of purpose. A higher chance of a longer and healthier life. Provides an opportunity to help those less fortunate than you. Provides an opportunity to help a favorite cause or organization when you can’t afford to give a monetary donation. Baby Boomers in their late 40s to mid-50s are volunteering at a higher rate than earlier generations did at the same age. At the same time, we see that the more hours per year that Boomers spend on volunteer activities, the more likely they are to continue to volunteer from year to year. Baby Boomers are a highly talented and motivated group who can help solve some of our most challenging social problems, including helping seniors live independently. In Their Words A few Delaware volunteers had this to say about why they volunteer: “I get to volunteer in areas that are meaningful to me—like child literacy and animal welfare—and it feels great to know I’m making a difference in some small way.” “Volunteering started as a means of getting to know my new community, but developed into a rewarding way to use my retirement time—I help organizations that affect the daily lives of many people.” "I enjoy volunteering because I am helping someone and also giving back to the community where I live. I feel this is a blessing for me." Resources Want to know more? Following are documents used as source material for this article: The Health Benefits of Volunteering http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/07_0506_hbr.pdf Data on Volunteering in Delaware http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/DE Volunteer Rates and Rankings http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/rankings.cfm The National Profile in Volunteering Rates: http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/national Pathways to Service: Learning from the potential volunteer’s perspective http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/assets/resources/PathwayToService.pdf Contributed by Sheri Ackerman Posted on Feb 23, 2010