20+ Volunteer Grant Statistics for Nonprofits and Volunteers

The title of the article: 20+ Volunteer Grant Statistics for Nonprofits and Volunteers

From completing mission-related initiatives to fundraising on your behalf, volunteers are a key part of your nonprofit’s team. But did you know that you can earn even more value from your volunteer grant program without asking for more from your volunteers?

You can accomplish exactly this through volunteer grants. To show how widespread these programs are and how they can potentially impact your nonprofit, we’ll look at some of the top statistics related to corporate volunteerism.

But first, let’s look at what exactly volunteer grants are.

What are Volunteer Grants?

Volunteer grants are a type of corporate giving where businesses provide monetary grants to the nonprofits where their employees volunteer. Volunteer grants have numerous names including:

No matter the name, all volunteer grant programs generally follow the same model of companies making donations based on the number of hours an employee volunteers. 

However, every company that offers volunteer grants has its own requirements and application process, which can lead to confusion or low participation rates. To help your supporters identify if they’re eligible for a volunteer grant and how to claim one, consider investing in a volunteer grant database:

An example of how 360MatchPro pulls up volunteer grant information.

When it comes to volunteer grant databases, we have to recommend our very own tool, Double the Donation Volunteering.

With our corporate volunteer functionality, you can easily embed our corporate giving search tool right onto your website or volunteer registration forms. From there, volunteers can search for their employers, find their program guidelines, and submit their grant request form in seconds.

Volunteer Grant Statistics 

Volunteer grant programs are a popular offering by many of the top companies in the world. They have the power to help you grow your nonprofit’s revenue, connect with supporters, and source corporate sponsors.

To show the current state of volunteer grant programs, here are the top statistics to consider: 

Several volunteer grant statistics, written out below.

  1. 40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grant programs (Source: Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics).
  2. 80% of companies with volunteer grant programs provide between $8-$15 per hour volunteered (Source: Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics).
  3. 85% of the top matching gift companies also offer volunteer grant programs (Source: Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics).
  4. Individual and team volunteer grants are the most widely available forms of corporate philanthropy for employees (Source: Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics).
  5. The average employee participation level for volunteer grants sits at just 3% (Source: Volunteerism Trends in 2024 | Corporate Incentives and More).

We’re constantly researching volunteer grant programs, to help nonprofits find and act on these opportunities. For more information on volunteer grants and how to make the most of volunteer grants, download our volunteer resources or reach out to our team.

Improve your volunteer program ROI by tapping into corporate volunteerism.

Volunteer Time Off Statistics 

Volunteer grants aren’t the only corporate volunteer program to be aware of! Some companies provide employees with time off specifically to volunteer. Being aware of volunteer time off (VTO) opportunities can help you inspire your current volunteers to help out more often and earn your cause new volunteers. 

A few top volunteer time off statistics include: 

Several volunteer grant statistics related to volunteer time off, written out below.

  1. 30% of volunteers do so because they had the spare time available to do so, and 49% of survey respondents were unable to volunteer due to work commitments (Source: Community Life Survey 2021/22: Volunteering and charitable giving).
  2. Corporate volunteer programs are on the rise as 61% of businesses have reported an increase in employee participation in volunteer programs (Source: ACCP’s 2023 CSR Insights Report).
  3. 96% of employees who participate in their employer’s volunteer program report having a positive experience (Source: What’s the Impact of CSR? FAQ & Key Benefits for Businesses).
  4. Flexibility, such as when employees can take time off, is a high priority for job seekers, and employees who feel happy with their employer’s flexibility are 2.1x times more likely to recommend their company to prospective employees (Source: 2022 Global Talent Trends: The Reinvention of Company Culture).
  5. Companies that provide pro-bono services report that these volunteer efforts have an average value of over $500,000 (Source: Giving in Numbers: 2023 Version).
  6. In 2022, the average employee participation rate in volunteer programs was just 19.8% (Source: Giving in Numbers: 2023 Version).
  7. Virtual volunteering is growing in popularity with 86% of companies offering virtual volunteer opportunities in 2022 (Source: Giving in Numbers: 2023 Version).
  8. The majority of companies that have a VTO policy offer 20 hours off to each employee per year (Source: The Ultimate List Of Charitable Giving Statistics For 2024).
  9. 67% of employees cite paid time off as one of the factors that make volunteering a positive experience (Source: America’s Charities Snapshot Employee Research).
  10. 71% of employees say that a work culture that supports volunteering is very important to them (Source: America’s Charities Snapshot Employee Research).
  11. The average corporate volunteer rate participation rate is 33% (Source: Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics).

The right volunteer grant database, like 360MatchPro, can also help your supporters discover if they’re eligible for VTO. 

Corporate Volunteer and CSR Statistics

Looking at just program-specific volunteer statistics doesn’t give the whole picture when it comes to corporate volunteering. Check out these general corporate volunteer statistics to understand why businesses offer these programs:

Several corporate volunteer grant statistics, written out below.

  1. Employees are 29% less likely to leave a company if they participate in that company’s philanthropic activities (Source: Benevity 2022 Talent Retention Survey).
  2. 84% of employers feel volunteerism is an effective way to engage employees (Source: Snapshot Employer Research: The New Corporate DNA).
  3. Individuals who regularly volunteer have a 27% higher chance of finding employment (Source: 25 Interesting Volunteer Statistics).
  4. 70% of Millennials and 74% of Gen Z state they rank their employer having a philanthropic purpose as more important than their paycheck (Source: Here’s what you need to know about Gen Z).
  5. 95% of employees believe that corporations should benefit all stakeholders, including employees and their local communities (Source: 15 Eye-Opening Corporate Social Responsibility Statistics).

In general, companies want to engage their employees and have a positive reputation with customers. Offering volunteer grants and VTO policies allows them to achieve both of these goals and make an impact in their local communities at the same time. 

More Volunteer Grant Resources 

Volunteer grants statistics indicate how corporations and nonprofits as a whole are handling these programs. However, the specific situation at your nonprofit may differ from these trends. To help your volunteer grant rate beat the average, use volunteer grant-related tools and resources to help supporters identify their eligibility and apply for funding. 

For more resources on volunteer grants, check out these articles:

Start earning more from corporate matching and volunteer programs. 360MatchPro makes discovering and requesting volunteer grants a breeze.

/by