The Pentera Blog
In Planned Giving, We Know the Value of Volunteers—And a New Study Shows That Appreciation Is Growing
Mary volunteered at her local hospital and loved the work assisting patients as they checked out. As she said, in that role, “Everyone is glad to see you. You’re everybody’s best friend for five minutes.”
When the pandemic and the inability to walk several miles through the hospital each day curtailed Mary’s volunteering, she decided to join the many volunteers who turn their enthusiasm for a nonprofit into a legacy gift—contributing in a way that will last well beyond her days.
And she is not alone. Research by Russell James shows volunteers are among the most promising prospects for making planned gifts.
Now, a new study by the Initiative for Strategic Volunteer Engagement and The Do Good Institute shows appreciation for volunteers has risen dramatically in a post-pandemic world. The study found that the percentage of nonprofit CEOs who believe volunteers increase their organization’s return on investment “to a great extent” rose from less than half (43%) in 2019 to 68.4% in 2022. It found an even greater increase in the percentage of CEOs who believe their constituents are dramatically better served thanks to volunteers.
In the charitable planned giving world, we’ve long known that volunteers, such as Mary, who devote their time and talents to an organization’s mission, are often first in line when it comes to making a planned gift. It’s good to see appreciation for them is growing in the rest of the nonprofit world. If this results in more resources being directed toward volunteer engagement and retention, it could produce more Marys—and more planned gifts—down the road.
See the full study here.
