Statewide Iowa — (RI) — A federal survey ranks Iowa number-four in the country for volunteerism, with more than 40-percent of Iowans donating their time, well above the national average of around 30-percent.
Barbara Stewart, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, says from religious groups to educational endeavors, Iowans are very generous with their giving.
Iowa’s fourth-place ranking this year is up six positions from the previous survey in 2016. The report finds Iowans donated more than 75-million hours of their time with an economic impact of nearly $2-billion. While many Iowans donate their time through organizations, many others take part in what’s considered “informal volunteering,” which may just be lending a hand to the person next door.
While Iowa ranks fourth overall for volunteerism, the state ranks third in Millennial participation and second in the nation for parental engagement.
The study also finds 55-percent of Iowans donate at least 25-dollars to charity, while the average Iowan donates 34 hours of time every year. Only Utah, Minnesota and Oregon rank higher than Iowa on the Volunteering in America report, while the bottom three states are Nevada, Mississippi and Florida. Learn more about how to volunteer in your own community at serve.gov.
