April 17, 2023
The Value of Volunteers
Have you ever stopped to think of the value the volunteers in your program have added to the program? Volunteers add value to our programs on so many levels. Our programmatic reach is greater because of our volunteers. A study conducted by the North Central Region 4-H Volunteer Specialists found on average volunteers give nine hours to the 4-H program (https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/ncrvd/files/2020/05/North-Central-Volunteer-Impact-Study-handout-7.16.19-1.pdf). When you multiply nine hours by the number of volunteers you have working in your program and then multiply that by 12 months, there are a lot of hours given to the 4-H and/or Extension program(s).
According to the Independent Sector (https://independentsector.org/resource/value-of-volunteer-time/), the value of a volunteer hour in 2022 was estimated at $29.95. If you take this amount and multiply it by the number of hours you figured, you will find the value of the time the volunteers in your program have donated.
Volunteering is not only great for the organization but also for the volunteer (https://jyd.pitt.edu/ojs/jyd/article/view/20-15-4-SIA-02). I’d encourage you to read this article to learn more.
On April 6, a KSRE article was dedicated to our volunteers (Kansas 4-H officials estimate $20.8M impact of volunteers in the state). As we celebrate National Volunteer Week, let’s take a moment to reflect on the time and talents our volunteers give to our Extension programs.