On the surface, the state of corporate volunteering looks positive as all of the traditional success metrics continue to climb. Even while accounting for the growing number of employees on the Benevity platform, we see substantial growth in approved volunteer hours and unique volunteers.

The time and intensity of employee volunteering is declining

Employee volunteering surged beginning in 2019, with a sharp acceleration in 2022 that coincided with a large-scale return to office and increased corporate investment. But when we zoom in, there is a more nuanced story emerging below the surface — the way people volunteer is changing. From 2019 to 2025, hours per volunteer dropped by 23% from 16.4 hours to 12.7 hours.

Introducing the micro-volunteer

We are witnessing an emerging phenomenon that we are calling "the rise of micro-volunteers." These are employees who are volunteering less time with less frequency than regular volunteers.

• Micro-volunteers accounted for 12% of all volunteers in 2019. By 2025, it was 25% of all volunteers.
• Despite the number of micro-volunteers doubling in six years, they are being outpaced in hours by regular volunteers by 11x.
• On average, micro-volunteers only submitted about 1.4 hours of volunteer time in 2025 across 1.7 time submissions; comparatively, regular volunteers submitted an average of 16.5 hours across 3 submissions.

This rise of micro-volunteers offers volunteer program managers the opportunity to reflect on whether they wish to consider different engagement strategies for this segment.

Volunteering commitment by hours

Comparing 2019 to 2025, employee volunteering totalling less than one hour grew from 2% to 7%, and volunteering totalling between one and five hours grew from 47% to 52%. Totals of more than five hours all shrank. This clearly shows an emerging employee preference towards shorter, bite-sized volunteer opportunities at less frequency.
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Part of the shift we’re seeing in volunteering could be attributed to the trend towards virtual opportunities, which tend to involve shorter time commitments than in-person opportunities. In 2019, only 26% of volunteer hours logged were for virtual volunteer opportunities. That quickly spiked to 75% for 2020 and 2021, in the height of the disruption caused by the pandemic. As that disruption has subsided, virtual volunteer opportunities accounted for 50% of hours logged in both 2024 and 2025.

However, Visit.org post-event surveys demonstrate that it is accessibility — rather than duration or setting — that drives employee sentiment. High impact scores (4.3-4.4 out of 5) remain consistent whether engagements are under one hour or longer and across virtual and in-person formats. This parity supports a diversified portfolio approach, with a flexible mix of opportunities that align with modern employee expectations for choice and autonomy.

Share of created volunteer opportunities that are virtual (no location)

If we’re seeing more new volunteers and more volunteer hours being submitted, why is volunteering depth declining?

• Generational shifts: As new generations become the majority of the workforce — and older ones move on — they are redefining engagement by participating in frequent micro-volunteering and alternate activities such as posting on social media about causes and nonprofits over traditional long-term commitments.‍
• Time and financial scarcity: While the rise in participation is a testament to the enduring desire for purpose and connection, the decline in depth suggests a workforce bumping up against its limits. Employees, faced with increased economic and employment pressure, as well as shifting hybrid work demands, are opting for shorter, episodic engagements rather than sustained commitments. According to a study by Minehead & District U3A, nearly 38% of workers now report putting in unpaid overtime every week, up sharply since 2018, and up to 76% of volunteers report dipping into their own funds regularly to support their volunteering efforts. ‍
• Office-based events: Office-based “volunteer days or months” still play a large role in corporate impact programs. From 2019 to 2025, Benevity data consistently shows that 21% of companies are running dedicated periods of service where employees from across the company are encouraged to give time. While these events are major drivers of participation, they tend to be “one and done” opportunities that lead to higher volunteer attrition rates and lower hours per volunteer.

While new volunteers surged, retaining them remains a challenge

Steady growth in new volunteers coming out of the pandemic shows that the focus on participation is successfully filling the top of the funnel. New volunteers represented 51% of total volunteers in 2020, and that number grew to a peak of 65% in 2022 before leveling off at 45% in 2025. More first-time volunteers are contributing to a record number of approved volunteer hours. But when those volunteers don’t show up to volunteer again, it results in a “leaky bucket” where filling the funnel with volunteers doesn’t actually create growth.

Percent of new volunteers (first time ever volunteering)

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Corporations remain focused on employee volunteering, as seen in their program design, budget allocation and sentiment towards volunteering as a pillar of employee engagement. And nonprofits need volunteers — but not just more of them. While 47% of nonprofits rely primarily or entirely on volunteers and 60% say they cannot function without volunteers, that doesn’t mean the surge in corporate volunteering is focused on where nonprofits need the most support. It is specific kinds of volunteers that make all the difference — those with the right skills, capacity, commitment and engagement to fill nonprofit gaps where they occur.

Companies anticipated an increase to their budgets for volunteering

^{Data from the Benevity 2025 State of Corporate Purpose Report}

Data from nonprofit leaders

_{1 School of Public Policy Do Good Institute - The State of Volunteer Engagement: Insights from Nonprofit Leaders and Funders}

There is an opportunity for corporations to rethink and reframe how they deploy employee time. By reframing volunteer time off (VTO) from a participation benefit to a skills-based development opportunity, companies can deliver deeper impact for nonprofits while enabling employees to bring back skills and insights that can directly benefit themselves, their teams and the business.
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Coming together on the “why” of volunteering

Employees are looking for more meaningful, relevant volunteer opportunities. In a 2024 survey by Deloitte, 95% of respondents said it is important to them to make a positive impact in their communities, with 52% saying the best way for their company to support them is by organizing in-person opportunities with community organizations. 

It seems there’s a natural fit between what companies, employees and nonprofits want — engaged employees, relevant volunteer opportunities and skills-based volunteers. And when companies invest more in creating these skills-based opportunities, the needs of all parties can be met. Taproot reports a 44% increase in new volunteers from 2024 to 2025, while applications for skills-based volunteer programs grew by 60% among unique volunteers.
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GE Appliances increases donations to nonprofits by 15% using skills-based volunteering

GE Appliances uses an employee-led framework to identify and act on partnership opportunities with nonprofits that leverage the skills of their volunteers. One example is their work with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, where GE volunteers brought their job skills to their nonprofit partner to develop a custom Salesforce platform. The milk bank originally requested freezer units to store donations, but the GE Appliances team — encouraged to approach volunteerism as an opportunity for innovation — identified a deeper logistics and tracking challenge. Through a custom Salesforce platform to streamline donor management, they were able to increase donations to the nonprofits by 15%.

How volunteering drives funding

As the need for skills-based volunteering becomes increasingly clear, many nonprofits remain committed to accepting all corporate volunteers because of the correlation between volunteering and donations. While volunteering remains one of the top priorities for corporate impact programs, nonprofits list funding as a much bigger strategic priority.
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Given the strong overlap between volunteering and giving, companies have an opportunity to lean into both by continuing their commitment to corporate volunteering, and using their participation numbers to boost giving at the same time. 

For volunteers who are less inclined to donate out of their own pocket, volunteer rewards programs provide them with the means and the incentive to give. Volunteer rewards are also a nearly universal precondition to having strong volunteering participation and time tracking. Benevity data shows that the average number of hours per volunteer is 50% higher in companies that offer rewards. Some companies provide a grant to nonprofits to run their volunteering programs and events; this recognizes and places a value on the time it takes for nonprofits to manage volunteers when they could be otherwise fundraising.