Earlier this year, Independent Sector announced that their estimate for the value of a volunteer hour in 2007 was $19.51. The value is “the average hourly wage for all non-management, nonagriculture workers” that is determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 12-percent increase that estimates fringe benefits.
The value of national service was brought to the forefront on September 11 and 12, at the ServiceNation Summit in New York City. The summit was a chance to bring people together to celebrate the power and potential of service, and trade ideas for solving the world’s challenges through national service and civic engagement.
In advance of the summit, The Chronicle of Philanthropy had an opinion piece on How the Presidential Candidates Can Stimulate Public Service, which looked at the current barriers to attracting and retaining volunteers and what the author believes Sens. McCain and Obama should do to encourage public service.
The Chronicle also had overview of the summit, including the presidential candidates’ views on service revealed in an interview that was held on the seventh anniversary of September 11.
Additionally, Time (one of the presenting sponsors) released its second annual national-service special issue. The feature that I found most interesting was 21 Ways to Serve America. Ideas included supporting the “Serve America Act,” the value of starting young and how baby boomers can increase their volunteering in the next five years.
Join the conversation: What is the value of service to you? What, if any, obstacles can get in the way of your volunteerism? Does the current economy play a role in how much (or how little) you are able to serve?
- Megan Sullivan, MCF’s communications associate
