10 benefits of volunteering backed by science

One hour of volunteering is worth about $35, but its impact is worth so much more.

The value of volunteering goes far beyond dollars. Research shows it can improve your mental and physical health, strengthen your sense of purpose, and build meaningful connections with others. At the same time, volunteers help nonprofits expand their reach, deliver critical services, and grow long-term support.

Below, we’ll break down 10 science-backed benefits of volunteering for individuals and nonprofits alike, and why investing in a strong volunteer program is one of the smartest moves any nonprofit can make.

Key takeaways

• Volunteering benefits everyone 🙌 From the individual volunteer to the nonprofits they serve, the advantages of volunteering are wide-reaching, well-documented, and backed by decades of research.
• It's good for your health 🩺 Volunteering reduces stress, anxiety, and depression, and is linked to better physical health outcomes, including fewer hospital stays and lower risk of chronic illness.
• It builds real career skills 💼 Volunteers are 27% more likely to be employed. Whether you're a student or a seasoned professional, volunteering builds skills that translate directly to the workplace.
• It strengthens communities and nonprofits 🏘️ Volunteers contribute over $167.2B in economic value each year and are one of the most powerful drivers of nonprofit capacity and long-term donor growth.
• The benefits show up at every life stage 💛 Students, working professionals, older adults, and corporate teams all have unique reasons to volunteer and unique ways to benefit.
• Givebutter and POINT make it easy to manage 🧈 Recruit volunteers, track hours, and connect your volunteer program directly to your fundraising, all in one place.

Why is volunteering important?

​​Volunteering strengthens mental and physical well-being, builds resilient communities, and drives meaningful social change. For nonprofits, it's even more foundational. Without volunteers, nonprofits would lose about 16% of their workforce, and in many cases, entire organizations are run almost entirely by volunteer power.

The impact goes both ways, too. Volunteers gain purpose, skills, and connection, while nonprofits expand their reach and deepen relationships within their communities. Over time, volunteers often become advocates, donors, and long-term supporters, multiplying their impact well beyond a single shift.

10 research-backed benefits of volunteering

Whether you're looking to give back or build a stronger volunteer program, the benefits of volunteering are both wide-reaching and well-documented. Here are 10 proven reasons why volunteering matters for individuals, nonprofits, and communities alike.

1. Improved mental health 🧠

One of the most well-known health benefits of volunteering is its impact on mental well-being. It reduces stress, anxiety, and depression by creating structure, connection, and a sense of purpose.

Research shows depressive symptoms can drop by about 19% after volunteering. Many volunteers also report feeling more confident, connected, and fulfilled, especially when they can see the real impact of their work.

2. Better physical health & longevity 💪

Volunteering often gets you moving, whether you're setting up events, organizing donations, or working outdoors. That activity, combined with social connection, contributes to better overall health.

The data backs it up:

• Volunteers spend 38% fewer nights in the hospital than non-volunteers
• Volunteering 100+ hours per year is associated with a much lower risk of chronic illness
• Research links regular volunteering to reduced overall mortality

For older adults, the benefits of volunteer work are especially strong. It helps them stay physically active and connected to others, which are both key predictors of healthy aging. The National Library of Medicine notes that just like healthy eating and exercise, volunteering should be promoted by public health officials as part of a healthy lifestyle.

3. Career skills & better job prospects 💼

Volunteering is one of the most practical ways to gain hands-on experience while doing something meaningful. Through volunteering, you can build skills like:

• Communication and leadership
• Event planning and coordination
• Marketing, design, or admin support
• Technical or industry-specific experience

Research shows volunteers are 27% more likely to be employed, making this one of the biggest advantages of volunteering, especially for students and career changers.

4. Meaningful social connections 🤝

Volunteering brings together people from different backgrounds, age groups, and career paths to work toward a shared purpose. These connections often turn into friendships, support systems, and long-term community ties. In fact, 45% of volunteers say they've formed a close friendship through volunteering.

Get inspired

Explore volunteer appreciation ideas that will make your team smile →

5. A stronger sense of purpose ✨

Volunteering connects your time and energy to something bigger than yourself. That sense of contribution can have a lasting impact on your well-being and identity. It's no surprise that 96% of volunteers say volunteering improves their sense of purpose.

For many, it becomes more than an activity. It becomes part of how they show up in the world. If you're going through a personal challenge, like a period of unemployment or losing a loved one, this benefit can have an especially powerful impact on your overall well-being.

6. Stronger, more resilient communities 🏘️

Volunteers play a critical role in meeting community needs. Many essential services simply wouldn't exist without them. From food banks to tutoring programs to disaster relief, volunteering helps fill real gaps, and those contributions add up to over $167B in economic value each year.

Learn more

Easy ways to celebrate your team during National Volunteer Week →

7. Expanded nonprofit impact 🏢

For nonprofits, volunteers aren't just extra hands. They're mission multipliers. Many nonprofits say their day-to-day operations simply wouldn't be possible without them. Think:

• Event check-ins and admin support that free up staff to focus on mission-critical work
• Word-of-mouth outreach that brings in new donors and supporters
• Social media engagement that amplifies your reach organically
• Corporate connections that can unlock employee giving programs and sponsorships

When volunteers are engaged, they don't just support your mission. They help grow it.

Learn more

Streamline your volunteer management strategy with 4 simple steps →

8. A culture of generosity & long-term giving 💛

Volunteering changes how people engage with causes over time. Once someone feels personally connected to a mission, they're far more likely to stick around and give back in ways that go beyond their volunteer hours.

Volunteers are 11 times more likely to give to charity than non-volunteers. That's not a coincidence. It's what happens when people stop being bystanders and start being part of something. A strong volunteer program isn't just an operations strategy. It's one of the most powerful donor pipelines a nonprofit can build.

9. Greater empathy & civic responsibility 🌍

Volunteering exposes you to perspectives and challenges outside your everyday experience, and over time, that changes you. It deepens empathy, broadens your worldview, and reinforces the understanding that communities are stronger when people choose to contribute beyond themselves.

Many volunteers describe it as one of the most perspective-shifting things they've ever done. And the ripple effect extends to everyone around them, their kids, their colleagues, their friends, proving that one person's choice to show up can inspire a whole community to do the same.

10. Inspiring others to give back 🔥

Volunteering is contagious—in the best possible way. When people see someone they know giving their time, they're more likely to get involved themselves, whether that's volunteering, donating, or sharing a cause they hadn't heard of before.

Committed volunteers don't just support your mission—they become your loudest advocates. They bring friends, they share your story, and they spark a culture of giving that no marketing campaign can replicate. One person's decision to show up can set off a ripple effect across an entire community. That's the real power of volunteering.

More to explore

Master the essential steps to volunteer recruitment →

The importance of volunteering: By numbers

Volunteering isn't just meaningful. It's measurable. Here's a snapshot of how far the impact reaches.

For volunteers 💛

• 76% of volunteers are less likely to feel isolated than non-volunteers
• Volunteers spend 38% fewer nights in the hospital than non-volunteers
• Volunteering reduces depressive symptoms by about 19%
• 45% of volunteers say they've formed a close friendship through volunteering
• Volunteers are 27% more likely to be employed
• 96% of volunteers say volunteering improves their sense of purpose
  

For nonprofits 🏢

• Each volunteer hour is worth an estimated $34.79
• Volunteers contribute over $167B in economic value to the U.S. economy each year
• 1 in 3 nonprofit workforce members is a volunteer
• 66% of volunteers also donate to the organizations they serve
• Volunteers are 11 times more likely to give to charity than non-volunteers
• 18% of volunteers now contribute their time virtually‍
• 70% of corporate volunteers say volunteering boosts employee morale

Learn more

Discover how to retain volunteers so the benefits multiply →

The benefits of volunteering at every life stage

The benefits of volunteering look a little different depending on where you are in life. Here's how they break down by life stage.

Benefits of volunteering for students 🎓

Volunteering is one of the best things a student can do outside the classroom. It builds career-ready skills like communication, leadership, and organization, looks great on a college application, and is a low-stakes way to explore different industries before committing to a career path.

The perks go beyond the resume, too. A study by JAMA Pediatrics found that students who volunteer have a reduced risk of cardiovascular issues, proof that the health benefits of volunteering start early.

Learn more

Engage student volunteers with these creative community service ideas →

Benefits of volunteering for working professionals 💼

Think you're too busy to volunteer? Even a few hours a month can pay off. Volunteering gives professionals a chance to develop skills outside their day-to-day role, explore new career paths, and build connections in their community, all while doing something meaningful.

It's also a great antidote to burnout. Many professionals find that shifting their focus to a cause they care about brings a renewed sense of purpose that carries back into their work.

Benefits of volunteering for older adults 👵🏽

For older adults, volunteering is one of the most effective ways to stay active, connected, and engaged. Research from the National Library of Medicine shows it significantly decreases the risk of social isolation, providing routine, community, and human connection that are key to healthy aging.

It also offers a way to keep learning, contribute lived expertise, and maintain a strong sense of purpose well into retirement.

Benefits of volunteering for companies & nonprofits 🏢

Corporate volunteer programs are a win for companies and nonprofits alike. For companies, they boost morale, strengthen team culture, and give employees a meaningful way to connect outside of work. In fact, 89% of employees say companies that offer volunteer programs create a better working environment, and 71% expect their employer to offer one.

For nonprofits, corporate volunteers bring more than extra hands. They can unlock volunteer grants (Dollars for Doers), open doors to recurring giving and matching gift programs, and connect your organization to corporate networks you couldn't easily reach on your own.

Done well, a corporate volunteer relationship doesn't stay a one-off group day. It becomes one of your most valuable long-term partnerships.

Unlock the benefits of volunteering with Givebutter & POINT

You've seen the data. Volunteering improves mental and physical health, builds meaningful connections, strengthens communities, and drives real, measurable results for nonprofits. The benefits are clear, and so is the opportunity.

That's where Givebutter and POINT come together. POINT helps you recruit, manage, and mobilize volunteers, while Givebutter tracks donations, manages donor relationships, and helps you cultivate those volunteers into long-term supporters. With native integration between the two platforms, every volunteer interaction becomes an opportunity to deepen engagement and grow your mission.

Ready to turn your volunteers into a true community of changemakers? Sign up for Givebutter for free today.

FAQs about the positives of volunteering

What are the advantages of volunteer work?

Volunteering offers advantages like a stronger sense of purpose, improved mental and physical health, career-ready skills, and meaningful community connections. For many people, it's also one of the most effective ways to find belonging and give back to causes they care about.

Why do people volunteer? 

People volunteer to give back, build new skills, explore causes they care about, and find community. For many, it's also a way to add meaning to their lives outside of work or school.

How does volunteering help the community?  

Volunteers fill critical gaps in services that government and paid staff alone can't cover, from food banks and tutoring programs to disaster relief and mentorship. Collectively, volunteer service contributes over $167B in economic value to the U.S. economy each year.

What are the benefits of volunteer experience? 

Volunteer experience builds real-world skills in communication, leadership, and problem-solving, and research shows volunteers are 27% more likely to be employed. Beyond career benefits, volunteers report better mental and physical health, a stronger sense of purpose, and deeper community ties.