More than 28,000 people volunteer every year with AARP Foundation to support communities across the country. AARP Foundation recently asked 1,300+ individuals who volunteer in their national reading tutoring program, AARP Foundation Experience Corps, about their reasons and motivations for doing so. They found that older adults serving as Experience Corps tutors see their efforts as a journey of fulfillment, promise, and passion.

Volunteers push your nonprofit’s mission forward, and they might even support one of your most impactful ongoing activities—grant writing.

Guest Contributor: Indiana Lee

When striving to enact positive change, it’s crucial to have as many people on board as possible. Gen Z has been instrumental in shaping societal change. As of 2024, they are between 12 and 27 years old, offering a wide range of young perspectives. However, Gen Z is one of the groups with the fewest volunteers among the 11 million people who volunteer on an average day. Of those who volunteered in 2022, only about 5% were from Gen Z. Their fresh perspectives and passion for impact are mismatched with these numbers.

Right now there are some really cool things happening with research in the volunteer engagement space. With new research coming out I wanted to give you a run down and share some things I’m excited about.

Embrace cultural exchange with EF High School Exchange Year.

Every year, EF High School Exchange Year brings thousands of high school exchange students from around the world to live with families in America. In a world where global connections are more important than ever, the opportunities to engage with and contribute to international cultural exchange have never been more accessible.

Your nonprofit’s volunteers are an integral part of your community. They commit their time, energy, and skills to facilitate your events, maintain your website, perform administrative tasks, and more.

After graduating from Federal Polytechnic in Nigeria, Folashade sought to grow her professional skills through virtual volunteering. She studied Accounting for practical reasons and had not expected to find a volunteer opportunity that would ignite her passion and change her life. 

Through VolunteerMatch Folashade discovered Womenful Voice, a U.S.-based organization empowering women in Haiti. After three months of volunteering as the Executive Assistant to Womenful’s CEO, she was hired to do the role full-time.

In America, volunteers donate approximately 4.1 billion hours of their time to nonprofits, and the value of each hour is estimated to be over $30. To make the most of valuable volunteer time at your next nonprofit event, you’ll need to set clear expectations for the roles they’ll fill. 

Your nonprofit likely collects data about its donors, but what about your volunteers? Volunteers, although often overlooked, are the backbone of your organization. They work hands-on with your beneficiaries, ensure events run smoothly, and advocate for your cause.

According to 360MatchPro, the estimated value of a volunteer hour is $31.80, which represents the cost the organization would incur by hiring paid workers instead. Is your association making the most of this valuable resource?