Civic & Community Engagement

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Civic and Community Engagement » Active Citizenship, Volunteering

Why It's Important

The activities of active citizenship and volunteerism may take many forms, including formal (clubs, religious or non-religious organizations) or informal (driving a friend or neighbor to the store). Volunteers, specifically older adults, are the backbone of home and community-based services and nutrition programs carried out at the state and local level by community and faith-based organizations. Older adults not only have a wealth of life experiences, but they have knowledge and expertise to perform a variety of tasks. These are just a few reasons why people choose to volunteer.

Volunteerism creates opportunities for older adults to participate in unpaid services and activities within a wide range of settings, thus providing a positive impact in the community and the life of the individual. Volunteers not only serve their communities with expertise and knowledge, but research has shown that volunteering fosters an increased sense of well-being, an enhanced self-image, and a sense of usefulness and productivity.

Volunteerism is supported by Congress' declaration of objectives in the Older Americans Act (OAA) that states, "Older adults have the right to participate in and contribute to meaningful activity within the widest range of, cultural, education and training, and recreational opportunities." (OAA)

See Data By: Richmond MSA | Virginia | National

How Richmond Is Doing

Richmond lags behind the national average in overall volunteer rate; however, Boomers are more engaged than the population as a whole. Thirty-three percent of Richmond Boomers are volunteers compared to 27 percent of the overall MSA population.

Total Percentage of the Population that Volunteer, Richmond MSA

Thirty percent of employed Richmond region residents say their employer provides paid time off for volunteering or allows them to volunteer during regular work hours (ODP CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, 2009)
Sixty-eight percent of employers offer some sort of support for volunteering (ODP CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, 2009)
Thirty-three percent of Richmond Boomers are volunteers compared to twenty-seven percent of the overall MSA population (CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL & COMMUNITY SERVICE, 2009)
On average, area volunteers contribute 39.9 hours annually (CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL & COMMUNITY SERVICE, 2009)

Employer Support

(ODP CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, 2009)

How Virginia Is Doing

Total Percent of Pop. That Volunteer VA

(CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL & COMMUNITY SERVICE)

How the U.S. Is Doing

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging reported that more than 60 percent of U.S. communities provide civic engagement/volunteer opportunities, including those for older adults. The vast majority of the opportunities are offered through Senior Corp programs such as the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Senior Companion’s and Foster Grandparents. (N4A, THE MATURING OF AMERICA 2007)

According to a 2007 VolunteerMatch.com survey, there is significant interest in volunteering among older non-volunteers. More than half of all older adults 55+ who have not volunteered in the past year indicate some interest in doing so now or at some point in the future; 34% are either "very" or "fairly" interested.

Of those who say they are “very” or “fairly” interested in volunteering:

45% are college graduates
42% are professionals/managers
41% are women age 55-64
39% are churchgoers

(VOLUNTEERMATCH.COM, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, 2007)

NonVolunteers Interest in Volunteering

(VOLUNTEERMATCH.COM, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, 2007)

According to the Corporation for National & Community Service, they ranked the Volunteer Rates of Baby Boomers from major cities across the United States:

Volunteer Rates MSAs