Community Section Involvement in Volunteer Activities

Volunteer Use by Nonprofit Organizations in DuPage County, 2002
Services Provided	Number of Volunteers	Number of Hours
Administrative/Clerical	982	40,301
Board/Committee Members	1,950	63,657
Direct Service	37,318	243,760
Fundraising	1,460	37,371
Loaned Executive Talent	29	1,600
Events	3,677	34,535
Other	1,746	112,483
Total	38,827*	551,494*
*Totals do not equal sum of column because some organizations reported only a total estimated amount, and did not subdivide by services provided. In addition, some volunteers may perform more than one function. Source: Giving DuPage

Volunteers are critical to the operations of nonprofit organizations. Therefore, like dollar donations, the level of volunteer involvement in a community reflects the commitment community residents have to the charitable service goals of these organizations. Presented here are two indicators of volunteer involvement. The first chart shows the extent to which parents and teachers in DuPage County are involved in volunteer activities based on responses to the “Global Portrait of Moral and Social Health.” The second chart presents information on the number of volunteers used for various purposes by nonprofit organizations in DuPage County and the estimated number of hours these volunteers contributed during 2002.

Involvement in volunteer activity appears to be strong in DuPage County. Of the 3,445 parents responding to the Global Portrait of Moral and Social Health, more than 30 percent volunteer frequently or regularly, and close to another 30 percent volunteer occasionally. In addition, according to a Giving DuPage survey, 38,827 volunteers donated more than 551,000 hours to 122 nonprofit organizations in the county. Most volunteers helped with direct delivery of services, which is also where the most volunteer hours were spent. This makes sense because most of the organizations that responded to the survey are involved in some type of human services activity.

TAPESTRY

Residents of DuPage County contribute many hours to volunteer causes, and in doing so, improve the ability of nonprofit organizations to fulfill their service objectives. Giving DuPage reports that the volunteer workforce described in its survey translates into 320 full-time employees at a value of about $8.5 million. This figure should be considered as a part of the dollar donations of DuPage residents to charitable causes.

Where volunteer activity is low, one possible reason may be the fact that more women are working outside the home. For schools, in particular, this represents the loss of an important volunteer resource. Adversely, the number of dual income families may increase the amount of disposable income available for giving.

Volunteerism contributes to a positive mental attitude. Helping others helps a person feel good about him or herself, and that’s good for one’s mental health. Retired individuals represent a good pool of volunteers that should be mined. In addition, volunteerism should be encouraged among the youth of the community, because volunteering helps build character, instill a sense of values, and broaden a person’s understanding of the less fortunate and their needs.