Help Us Encourage Americans to #GoVolunteer

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Dear CNCS Grantees and Partners,

If you know me, you know I love statistics that tell a compelling story.  The numbers consistently show that Americans of all ages are working together to keep our nation strong.

This isn’t random -- we know volunteering is and always will be a core American value. Last year, one in four of us volunteered through an organization, and two in three of us regularly helped our neighbors.

These highlights come from this year’s Volunteering and Civic Life in America, which I’m pleased to join the National Conference on Citizenship in sharing with you today:

  • Nearly 63 million Americans volunteered nearly 8 billion hours last year
  • This service has an estimated value of $173 billion (based on the Independent Sector’s estimate of the average value of a volunteer hour)
  • More than 138 million Americans (or 63 percent) volunteered informally in their communities

This report includes comprehensive data and trends which tell us just how deep the spirit of service runs in this country.  But that’s not the end of it: We need volunteers now more than ever.  More than 80 percent of our nation’s nonprofits depend on volunteers to do their important work.

That’s why I’m asking all of you to mobilize your networks to #GoVolunteer.  Please help us spread the word about these volunteering numbers, and encourage your followers to get involved.  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram -- and share our posts from those channels.

The state of volunteering and civic life in America is strong – and it’s up to you to keep it up. Tell your networks to #GoVolunteer!

Warmest Regards,

Wendy Spencer, CEO
Corporation for National and Community Service

P.S. A perfect time to volunteer is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on January 19, 2015. Visit MLKDay.gov to find a service project near you!