Pandemic Taking a Toll on Volunteerism: Report

The findings suggest that nonprofits should be proactive about informing their supporters of ways they can continue to safely offer help, as they adapt their volunteer programs.

In a hopeful finding, 73% of donors surveyed planned to return to pre-pandemic volunteerism when it is safe to do so. Still, nonprofits may have to develop new models for the long term as social distancing continues, Fidelity Charitable said.

Artemis Strategy Group in March surveyed 1,842 adults in the U.S. who donated at least $1,000 to charity in 2019. Later, in August, a survey was conducted among 491 Fidelity Charitable donors about how the coronavirus had affected volunteerism. 

Generational Shift 

Fidelity Charitable's research indicates that understanding key differences between millennial volunteers and older ones can help nonprofits in shaping their approach to engaging volunteers in both the short and long term. 

The study found that millennials have a stronger preference for skills-based volunteer opportunities, whereas other generations prefer to serve in less skilled roles, such as serving in a food kitchen.

A third of millennials say they give more to the nonprofit they volunteer with than they would if they did not volunteer. In contrast, less than a quarter of Gen X donors and about one in 10 baby boomers say the same thing.

Thirty-five percent of millennial respondents report that they recently volunteered for three or more organizations, compared with less than a quarter of Gen Xers and boomers who did so.

Nearly half of younger donors said the amount they volunteered pre-pandemic increased in the last two years, versus a quarter of boomers and 29% of Gen Xers.