Take a closer look at volunteering
Are you volunteering this election season? If so, you’re part of a small group of Americans who are doing so. Only about 5% of Americans volunteer for organizations that are considered “Civic, political, professional, or international.”
Here’s some interesting information about volunteering in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Overall, about 62.6 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2014 and September 2015
- A higher percentage of people with children under the age of 18 volunteers than people without children under 18. This might seem odd, since people without children generally have more free time. However, it does make sense when you think about how much volunteering parents are expected to do, particularly if they have school-age children.
- Married people are more likely to volunteer than unmarried people
- More than a quarter of 16-19-year-olds volunteer (which may be due to school requirements)
Volunteering is an important part of our community. Here are some great resources to learn more about the state of volunteerism in the United States:
-
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Volunteering in the United States 2015 (the latest year for which data are available): https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/volun.pdf.
- Pew Research Center: “Political engagement, knowledge and the midterms” http://www.people-press.org/2018/04/26/10-political-engagement-knowledge-and-the-midterms/.
- The U.S. Election Assistance Commission White Paper: “EAVS Deep Dive: Poll Workers and Polling Places” https://www.eac.gov/documents/2017/11/15/eavs-deep-dive-poll-workers-and-polling-places/.
Volunteering is particularly important this election season, and we are looking for volunteers between now and Election Day. If you want to help us keep Pompano Beach moving forward, and you’ve got two hours to spare, just reply to this email and we’ll be in touch!
