The annual study by Independent Sector argues that putting a dollar figure on volunteering has strategic benefits.

A new report finds that the value of volunteering for nonprofits is increasing, reflecting its increasing importance to the sector.

The Value of Volunteer Time Report, released April 21 and produced by Independent Sector in collaboration with the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland, found that the average value of volunteer work in the United States is $36.14. That’s a 3.9 percent increase over the previous year, outpacing inflation.

The dollar estimate is calculated from Bureau of Labor Statistics data, based on average hourly earnings for U.S. production and non-supervisory workers. 

“Putting a dollar value on volunteer hours will never do justice to their true worth, but it is just one way for us to show the contributions individuals and organizations have made in our communities,” the report says. “The estimate helps acknowledge the millions of individuals who dedicate their time, talents, and energy to making a difference. Charitable organizations frequently use this estimate to quantify the enormous value volunteers provide.”

In a release, Independent Sector President and CEO Dr. Akila Watkins cited Urban Institute research finding that 75 percent of nonprofits say “volunteers are important to their operations,” with 23 percent entirely dependent on them.

Volunteering values vary substantially depending on location: In the latest study, the dollar figure is $17.99 per hour for Puerto Rico and $54.77 per hour for Washington, D.C. In a release, Do Good Institute Research Director Nathan Dietz said this variation “is due to differences in the cost of living, not in the actual value that volunteers bring to American communities: throughout the country, volunteers are working together, and with local organizations, to help their neighbors.” 

Though volunteering is generally an uncompensated activity at most nonprofits, Independent Sector argues that the calculation helps organizations “demonstrate the return on investment of volunteerism within their organizations.” In a 2025 post on the research, authors Sue Carter Kahl and Betsy McFarland argued that such figures can help promote the idea that volunteering is a strategic element or an organization’s work that requires investment.

“Like anything that advances a nonprofit’s mission, engaging volunteers takes time, expertise, planning, and funding,” they write. “In short, it demands strategy. Too often, volunteer engagement falls short in these areas.”

“Some organizations use this number as a way to account for labor when they are putting together and developing their financial documents for their constituents and the public,” Watkins said in an interview with Atlanta TV station WXIA last week. “It’s a great way to communicate the fullness of volunteering in our country.”

Independent Sector has been calculating the dollar-per-hour value of volunteering since 2001, and the figure has increased every year, more than doubling its 2001 figure of $16.27 per hour.

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