What is the monetary value of volunteer time?

The Independent Sector has a section devoted to the value of volunteer time here (http://www.independentsector.org/programs/research/volunteer_time.html). It cites $19.51 per hour for 2007. Historical values (back to 1980) are also available, as is information on the value of volunteer time by state (2006) and other statistics on volunteer information.

There are also several books and articles on the value of volunteer time, including:

• Anderson, Paula M. and Mary E. Zimmerer. "Dollar Value of Volunteer Time: A Review of Five Estimation Methods." Journal of Volunteer Administration 21 (Number 2, 2003) p. 39-44.

• Handy, Femida and Narasimhan Srinivasan. "Valuing Volunteers: An Economic Evaluation of the Net Benefits of Hospital Volunteers." Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 33 (March 2004) p. 28-54. Based on a survey of more than 30 hospitals in the Toronto area, the authors determine an approximate value of the volunteer workforce.

• Mook, Laurie, Jorge Sousa, Susan Elgie, and Jack Quarter. "Accounting for the Value of Volunteer Contributions." Nonprofit Management & Leadership 15 (Summer 2005) p. 401-15. Two separate studies are presented here that together demonstrate that nonprofit financial statements do not generally represent the value of volunteer time. In the first study, 156 nonprofit agencies in Canada were surveyed, and it was found that most did not keep records of volunteer contributions. In the second study, a sampling of accountants showed that most think financial statements should include this data, but usually do not. Based on these findings, the authors provide recommendations.

• Smith, Justin Davis and Angela Ellis. "Valuing Volunteerism." Journal of Volunteer Administration 21 (Number 2, 2003) p. 49-52.

For articles and books on the value of volunteer time, try our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature. Use the subject heading "Voluntarism--analysis".

Many of the books and articles found through CNL can be located in Center Libraries and Cooperating Collections. It is best to call ahead to verify a specific library's holdings. All articles, but not books, can be obtained through interlibrary loan at your local Cooperating Collection.

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