Why is A Coordinated Volunteer Program Essential to Non-Profit Mission and Philanthropy?

Volunteerism strengthens community and adds value to individual volunteers, non-profits organizations, and businesses alike. Non-profits benefit by better achieving their missions, decreasing operational costs, building organizational capacity, increased philanthropic giving, and creating strong public-private partnerships.

By the Numbers*

  • Nearly nine-out-of-10 non-profit (89 percent) directors and managers realize that volunteers’ workplace skills are extremely or very valuable to their organizations.

  • Volunteers are almost twice as likely to donate to a charity than those that don’t volunteer according to The Corporation for National & Community Service. 

  • Volunteers are 66% more likely to donate financially to the organization they support than those who do not volunteer their time.

  • Nearly 50 % of business leaders surveyed believe that volunteering should accomplish short-term goals for non-profits, long-term goals for society, and to help non-profits with their organizational development.

Minding the Gap

  • 24% of nonprofits have no one designated to manage volunteers and they typically are junior level staff.

  • More than 34% of non-profits do not have the infrastructure in place to manage volunteers, 57% cannot deploy a large number of volunteers.

  • 2/3 of corporate grant makers site the lack of a volunteer coordinator and structure at non-profits a barrier to providing skilled volunteer service.  There is also a perception that there is not a demand for skilled volunteer services.

  • 77 percent % non-profit directors and managers strongly/somewhat agree that their organizations could benefit significantly from corporate volunteers focusing on business practices improvements yet just 12 % of non-profits typically align tasks with volunteers’ specific workplace skills.

  • Only 19% of volunteers say their workplace skills are the primary service they provide when they support a non-profit organization.

  • 62% of non-profits do not work with any companies that provide volunteers.

Leveraging Community Engagement

Vermont Connector can identify volunteers to fulfill direct service, skills based, policy or advocacy, and board membership needs of your organization.  In addition, VT Connector has the capacity to organize volunteer day logistics, create resources for ongoing volunteer support, and help you to evaluate the impact of your community engagement.

* Statistics compiled by Deloitte and Touche in volunteer impact surveys