April 17, 2008
Volunteers Worth 3.3 Times Minimum Wage The value of a volunteer hour nearly kept pace with inflation during 2007, increasing 3.94 percent while consumer prices tracked at 4.1 percent. The estimate for the value of volunteer hour jumped by 74 cents, from $18.77 in 2006 to $19.51 last year, according to Independent Sector (IS), a Washington, D.C.-based coalition of nonprofits and foundations. IS calculates the hourly value of volunteer time based on the average hourly wage for all non-management, non-agriculture workers as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 12-percent increase to estimate for fringe benefits. The federal minimum wage is $5.85 an hour. "Our nation's volunteers play a vital role in helping America's 1.4 million charitable organizations improve lives across the country and around the world," said Diana Aviv, president and CEO of IS. "Quantifying the value of their time gives us yet another indicator of how important volunteers are to communities." The new estimates were released ahead of National Volunteer Week (April 27-May 3) to "acknowledge the millions of individuals who dedicate their time, talents, and energy to making a difference." Washington, D.C. had the highest hourly value ($30.10) among the 50 states and Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The top states were all found in the Northeast: New York ($26.18), Connecticut ($25.75), Massachusetts ($24.29) and New Jersey ($23.62). The bottom six states, excluding Puerto Rico ($10.21), all fell below the level of the Virgin Islands ($14.85): West Virginia ($14.70), Arkansas ($14.63), North Dakota ($14.27), Mississippi ($14.08), South Dakota ($13.72) and Montana ($13.51). In all, 10 states eclipsed the $20 value and all but seven had values of more than $15. Two pairs of states had identical values: Colorado and Virginia ($20.08), and Vermont and Kentucky ($16.07). *** This article is from NPT Instant Fundraising, a publication of The NonProfit Times. Subscribe to The NPT Instant Fundraising eNewsletter or any of our other enewsletters and get the latest news and ideas related to fundraising delivered to your inbox.