To help government and community leaders increase volunteering levels in their cities, the Corporation has produced a first-ever report that takes a detailed look at volunteering habits and trends in America’s largest cities.

Volunteering in America:
2007 City Trends and Rankings

Volunteering in America: 2007 City Trends and Rankings uses volunteer data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2004-2006. It ranks and includes profiles for 50 of the largest cities including the volunteer rate; the types of organizations through which residents serve; their main volunteering activities, the average hours per year and volunteer rates for age and gender demographic groups, and key trends and highlights. The report also analyzes social and demographic trends affect city volunteer rates and finds that there are four key drivers of volunteering: community attachment; commuting times, high school graduation levels and poverty; and the prevalence of nonprofits and their capacity to retain volunteers from year to year. The information on volunteering at the local level can help local governments, community leaders, service organizations, and volunteers nationwide develop a volunteer growth strategy, set goals to increase the level of individual engagement in volunteer activities, and build the infrastructure of nonprofits and communities to support more volunteer opportunities.

• A Message from David Eisner, CEO
• Executive Summary (2.8 MB PDF)
• Full Report (7.8 MB PDF)
• Issue Brief: "Volunteering in America - 2007 City Trends and Rankings" (353 KB PDF)
• Issue Brief: "Volunteering in America - An Overview of Corporation Research" (532 KB PDF)
• Press Release: "Middle American Cities Lead U.S. in Volunteering"

City Profiles

This section provides detailed information on volunteer trends and habits in 50 of America’s largest metropolitan areas. The profiles show the volunteer rate; the types of organizations through which residents serve; their main volunteering activities, the average hours per year and volunteer rates for age and gender demographic groups, and key trends and highlights.

Tools for Community Engagement

To help community leaders put these recommendations in action, the Corporation has put together a set of free online resources about workplace volunteering, building community connections, and online volunteering. The material includes tip sheets, effective practices, and online training resources. This section is part of the “Resources for Retention” toolkit at available at http://www.nationalservice.gov/resources.