We hardly need another reason to extol the value of dedicated volunteers to the work of nonprofit organizations, but bear with us a moment, this one is pretty compelling. According to a new study, not only do volunteers add value to an organization, but it turns out they give value, too.

A study of more than 1,000 people from the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund and VolunteerMatch revealed, on average, people donate 10 times more if they have volunteered during the past year. Specifically, the study showed Americans who had volunteered in the past 12 months donated an average of $2,593 compared to $230 from non-volunteers. Finally, this benefit is staying inside the organization’s walls in most cases: 67 percent of American volunteers say they generally give back to the same organizations where they volunteer.

These powerful statistics are further underscored by the shared attitude (for two-thirds of survey respondents) that “true philanthropy” translates to both time and money. The survey only spoke to individuals, but this sentiment also holds true for companies who can multiply their own impact on important causes by dedicating both time and financial resources. The takeaway is that “true philanthropy” requires a holistic approach, and frankly, we couldn’t agree more.

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Jenna

December 10, 2009 12:06 PM With the holiday season upon us, we wanted to let you and your readers know about a dynamic new startup called CafeGive. The company is a thriving community of nonprofit organizations, consumers and merchants dedicated to grassroots fundraising through e-commerce. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can become an advocate for a cause and create a grassroots fundraising campaign with CafeGive by connecting people, online stores and causes. CafeGive has teamed with more than 20 non-profit organizations nationwide since forming in 2008 and launching its website in July. Additionally, 200 top retail brands and boutique retailers are represented on CafeGive.com. CafeGive’s innovative business model allows shoppers to support causes they care about, merchandisers to build their brand by reaching new and existing customers and non-profit organizations to tap into the growing social networking and e-commerce trends in a way that benefits everyone. CafeGive takes shopping for a cause to a new level by enabling people to actively pair retail products and non-profits to create campaigns for their causes. In turn, people can promote their causes by sending links called “widgets” to friends through email or social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, with each purchase made via a widget earning directly for a selected cause. Participating non-profits include national organizations such as the Children’s Heart Foundation and Mercy Corps as well as local non-profits in regions ranging from Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area to Chicago and New York City. Retail stores on the site include major brands such as Banana Republic, The Westin Hotels, The Walking Company, Macy’s and PetSmart and boutique merchants such as Charming Life Designs. You can find out more about CafeGive at www.cafegive.com, and we’d be happy to connect you with company leaders to discuss the business in more detail. Please let us know i

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