A volunteer shortage is affecting charities across the country. In the Phoenix Arizona, Ronald McDonald House volunteer opportunities like "Dinner Time Hero's" are only seeing 50 percent of the slots filled. Kerry Schulman, Chief Executive Officer, said that while no one knows the exact reason she suspects the amount of people working at home may have an effect. The shortage has forced them to hold off on improvements including hiring more staff. According to a recent U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps survey, formal volunteer participation dropped 7% between 2019 and 2021. That's the largest decrease the survey has recorded since a version of it started in 2002. It’s reached the point where the lack of volunteers strains the safety net that nonprofits provide to many of society’s most vulnerable. The largest drop between 2019 and 2021 in any state was Colorado at 16.1%. Hawaii. Wisconsin and Ohio also saw double-digit drops. Utah also saw a 8.8% drop, but still has the highest rate of volunteering in the country.
As pandemic-related government aid programs end and inflation rises, nonprofits of all kinds are looking everywhere and trying everything to get volunteers.Â
The share of Americans who volunteer their time to help charities build houses, serve food, do environmental cleanup, and much else has been on the decline nationwide.
