People who volunteer time to charities donate on average 10-times more money to charity than people who don’t volunteer, according to a new study

The lesson: Engaging volunteers should be a strategic priority if you want your organization to become BIG or get BIGger.

Here are some of the key findings from the study, released on Dec. 3 by the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund (“Gift Fund”) and VolunteerMatch:

• People who volunteered in the last 12 months donate ten times more money to charities than non-volunteers ($2,593/yr vs. $230/yr).
• Two-thirds (67%) of those who have volunteered in the last 12 months say they donate to the same charities they volunteer at.
• These volunteers also say they are more likely to increase their charitable donations in 2010 (32%) vs. 26% of non-volunteers.
• Two-thirds of those surveyed (66%) agree that “true philanthropy” includes the giving of both time and money.
• Many (63%) agree that within their network of friends and family there is a renewed sense of the value and importance of community service. This is consistent across all age groups.
• One in five (19%) agree that every American should be required to give a certain percentage of their time and money each year to non-profits.
• 84% think volunteering should NOT include some sort of reward or incentive.

All of this reinforces the idea that there is a rising tide of generous people who are getting more engaged with charities. To survive and thrive in this new age, organizations must find ways to attract engaged donors. Organizations that don’t have active volunteer programs — with measurable goals to increase engagement — will find it harder than ever to raise money and support their missions.

Tags: BIG Guidance, engaged philanthropy, volunteers
Posted in BIG Blog, For BIG Organizations, Guidance