Health & Fitness
Volunteerism: Why Do People Step Forward?
This blog will examine the the characteristics of volunteers, their commonalities and their differences. Why would people give so much of themselves for no financial remuneration?
This is the first in a series of blogs on volunteerism
Volunteerism is at the heart of all non-profit organizations, whether they be church groups, PTAs, charities, Peace Corps, VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), or the Friends of the Library. It is also what these groups have in common.
None of them could possibly pay for the countless hours of dedicated service provided by its members. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2007 about 60.8 million people volunteered their time for an organization at least once. That would be 26.2% of the population. The rate for men was unchanged from the previous year at about 23%. The rate for women was was down slightly from the previous year at 30%. This breaks down into 52 hours for men and about 50 hours for women.What makes a person want to work and put in long hours, sometimes over many years, all for no money?
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This series will take a look at the characteristics of volunteers, their commonalities and their differences by gender, age group and educational level
