In a recent study entitled the Giving Australia 2016 led by the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Non-profit Studies (ACPNS), some interesting facts came to light. In this largest-ever research effort into philanthropic and volunteering behaviour in Australia, the study showed that individuals who had volunteered 12 months prior to September 2016 gave nearly twice the amount of money than non-volunteers had given.

Looking at the study in more detail, it demonstrated that people who had volunteered and donated to charity gave an average donation of $1,017 compared to a donation of $536 from non-volunteers. Clearly, engaged volunteers who are willing to give their time are also prepared to give their money as well. When individuals feel engaged with a not-for-profit organisation, they want to be able to assist wherever they can, whether it is through a donation of time or money.

This will, of course, only happen if a volunteer feels valued and respected at all times. Anything less and they won’t be keen to give anything at all, whether it is their time or their money. Feeling a part of something is a huge factor for someone giving so much of themselves to an outside cause or NFP.

If you thought that there had been a decline in volunteering recently, then you might be surprised that an estimated 43.7% of Australians volunteered a staggering total of 932 million hours between September 2015 and 2016. This is an average of about 2.5 hours a week. On top of this, 38.2% of individuals both volunteered and donated to NFP organisations. These figures show an increase in both the percentage of people and the time they spent volunteering over the past ten years.

While other reports have intimated that volunteering was in decline, this report spent a lot of time focusing on different types of volunteering organisations including churches, committees and even online. This project study showed that individuals spent a lot of time volunteering in informal volunteer situations as well as at formal or registered volunteer organisations or NFPs.

The report also showed that women are more likely to volunteer than their male counterparts and that individuals aged between 35 and 44 have more interest in volunteering than any other age group. Also relevant to NFPS is the information relating to the key reasons volunteers gave up their time. These reasons included personal satisfaction, a connection to the community, to gain skills, family tradition, mental health benefits and to keep busy.

From this information and the final results of the report, it is clear that volunteering has changed a lot in the past 25 years. There are clearly more options in terms of volunteering, today more than ever, to meet an individual’s personal interests and time factors.

These contemporary statistics are very helpful for NFPs today and particularly encouraging for those looking for volunteers. Perhaps different methods are needed to attract volunteers as well as a more wide-ranging way for people to donate their time before you will start to see any real results? Allowing people to feel a part of a company, community or a team is helpful for all involved and will ensure a longer commitment on the part of the volunteer. Think about ways you can attract and engage the modern volunteer that will benefit both them and your NFP. We would love to hear your thoughts.