Volunteerism in North Carolina dips

August 4, 2009

In a year when the number of Americans volunteering and the national volunteer rate both inched up, North Carolina saw both numbers drop, a new report says.

About 1.7 million North Carolinians volunteered during 2008, down from about 1.8 million in 2007, says the report from the Corporation for National and Community Service.

And 23.9 percent of the state's adult population gave their time last year, down from 26.4 percent in 2007, and below the national volunteer rate of 26.4 in 2008.

However, the number of people who worked with their neighbors on a community project grew to 617.6 million in 2008 from 435.6 million in 2007, and 654.4 million attended a public meeting, up from 515.8 million in 2007.

More than four in 10 volunteers donated their time to a religious organization, while more than two in 10 gave through an educational institution and almost 14 percent volunteered with a social-services group.

About 28.9 percent engaged in fundraising activities, while 25.3 percent collected or distributed food, 21.4 percent engaged in general labor and 21 percent either taught or tutored.

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