How Volunteers Add Value to School Districts

Volunteering Not Only Gives You the Feeling of Personal Value, but They Also Bring Value to School Districts

Volunteers are often the backbone of school events. They serve as helpers, positive role models, and student motivators. But volunteers add so much more than a helping set of hands. Henderson and Mapp conducted a study in 2002 which shows that volunteers contribute to better school attendance, improved grades and test scores, less misbehavior, better social skills, staying in school, graduating, and going on to college (pg. 24). They also teach students the importance of leadership and service which helps students to become better adults. By bringing on a great team of volunteers, you are improving students and helping the school district.

Not only do volunteers help the students, but volunteers also help alleviate financial strain put on school districts by tightened budgets. Many districts have been forced to make difficult decisions and reduce positions such as office assistants or teacher assistants, putting additional stress on existing office staff and teachers.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, in 2016, the average value of a volunteer is $24.14 per hour.  As an example, let’s say that your school adds an additional 60 hours of volunteer time each week in various areas for 40 weeks. That’s over $57,000 of value to that school. If, for example, your school district has 10 schools, that would be over $570,000 in value to the district! The value of volunteer time provides one way to measure the impact millions of individuals make each hour they dedicate to making a difference.

Building a strong team of volunteers that are active in your district has a high value both in dollars and in the intangibles that they bring to the district.