#1 in Volunteering
June 15, 2010
Twin Cities tops nation in volunteering
By Paul Walsh
Published June 15, 2010
Star Tribune
The Twin Cities leads all metropolitan areas in volunteering.
That finding was released Tuesday by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency responsible for supporting volunteering and national service through programs like AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America.
In the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, 37.4 percent of residents volunteered last year, ranking the Twin Cities first among the 51 largest metropolitan areas.
Among states, Minnesota came in third, according to the federal agency.
Between 2007 and 2009, 37.5 percent of Minnesotans volunteered. This contribution of service is valued at $3.6 billion annually.
Minnesota volunteers made an impact through their religious organizations (34.6 percent), educational organizations (26.1 percent), and social and community service organizations (14.2 percent).
The most common activities for volunteers include collecting and distributing food (28.7 percent), fundraising (28.1 percent), providing general labor (23.9 percent), and professional management of these operations (20 percent).
The report also shows the largest increase in volunteering nationwide since 2003, with 63.4 million Americans (ages 16 and older) volunteering in 2009, an increase of almost 1.6 million since 2008.