The Corporation for National Service has released its annual report on volunteering in the USA. And, once again, the way they present the data, and the old-fashioned view of volunteering, has disappointed me greatly.

How was the data gathered? I can’t find anything on the web site to tell me. How many people were interviewed? Or how many organizations provided data regarding their volunteers? Where is a report I can read, to get more in-depth info, not just graphics and summary paragraphs? I spent a lot of time on the web site and searching on Google and cannot find this information anywhere.

Once again, the Corporation is focused on a dollar value for measuring the impact of volunteering: “Over the past 15 years, Americans volunteered 120 billion hours, estimated to be worth $2.8 trillion” and in the year for this report, volunteers gave $167 billion in economic value. That’s right – volunteers mean you can eliminate paid staff! And also contributes to the mistaken belief that volunteers are free (they aren’t).

The Corporation summary of the report breaks down volunteering activities in these categories:

• Fundraise or sell items to raise money
• Collect, prepare, distribute, or serve food
• Collect, make or distribute clothing, crafts, or goods other than food.
• Mentor youth
• Tutor or teach
• Engage in general labor; supply transportation for people
• Provide professional or management assistance including serving on a board or committee
• Usher, greeter, or minister
• Engage in music, performance, or other artistic activities
• Coach, referee, or supervise sports teams
• Provide general office services
• Provide counseling, medical care, fire/EMS, or protective services
• Other types of volunteer activity

Sigh… so, where do these common volunteering activities go?

• Participating in hackathons and wikipedia edit-a-thons? What if I’m not doing anything at the computer – I’m walking around serving drinks?
• Supporting artistic activities but not actually supplying them? Would a theater usher be under the “usher” category or hear?
• Volunteering to register voters go?

And what about this range of typical virtual volunteering activities go?

• Managing an online discussion group
• Facilitating an online video chat/event
• creating web pages (designing the pages or writing the content)
• editing or writing proposals, press releases, newsletter articles, video scripts, etc.
• transcribing scanned documents
• monitoring the news to look for specific subjects
• managing social media activities
• tagging photos and files

And, as always: where is the information about the resources it takes to engage volunteers? It takes money and time – yet the report never says a word about this. Volunteers do not magically happen.

I have all the same complaints about CNCS and its report on volunteerism that I had in 2014, so I won’t repeat myself here. But please, CNCS, read it. Drag yourself into the 21st Century and let’s get the data we truly need to help politicans and the general public understand and value volunteerism.

#GoVolunteer

Also see:

• Trump’s War on Volunteerism
• CNCS continues its old-fashioned measurement of volunteer value
• Research on USA volunteerism excludes virtual volunteering
• A plea to USA nonprofits for the next four years (& beyond)
• Governor Bevin & Donald Trump Are Wrong on Community Service Requirements
• Requirements to volunteer are getting out of hand
• Kentucky politicians think volunteers are free
• Judging volunteers by their # of hours? No thanks.
• Do NOT say “Need to Cut Costs? Involve Volunteers!”
• UN Volunteers, IFRC, ILO & others make HUGE misstep
• Value of Volunteers – Still Beating the Drum
• Volunteers: still not free