Volunteer hours are real, reportable value. Enter your numbers to see the total dollar value of your volunteers' time, then copy ready-to-paste language for grant reports and in-kind match documentation.
Hourly value is the Independent Sector value of a volunteer hour, anchored on the $36.14 national estimate from 2025 data. Per-state values come straight from Independent Sector's official 2026 state-by-state table — see the note below the state table.
Estimated hourly value:
Your volunteers contributed an estimated
in value, based on volunteer hours at /hr.
Cite the source in your report. The Independent Sector value of a volunteer hour is a national estimate based on the average hourly earnings of private, non-farm, non-managerial workers. Many grant funders accept it as documentation of in-kind volunteer match. Always confirm your funder's specific match rules before reporting.
Independent Sector publishes a national estimate plus state-level figures. Use your state's value when a funder asks you to localize your in-kind volunteer match.
| State | Value / hour | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Independent Sector (2025) |
A note on state figures. Every state value above comes straight from Independent Sector's official 2026 Value of Volunteer Time report (based on 2025 preliminary data), with a $36.14 national estimate. Values range from the District of Columbia at $54.77 down to Mississippi at $28.39, because the estimate tracks local private-sector wages. Independent Sector updates these figures each spring, so confirm the current year's number on Independent Sector's official table before you report it to a funder.
Tracking volunteer hours in a spreadsheet, then re-keying them for grant reports?
Volunteering is one of the largest sources of value in the nonprofit sector, and most of it never shows up on a balance sheet. Here is what the research says.
A single volunteer hour was valued at $36.14 in 2026 (based on 2025 preliminary data), a 3.9% increase over the prior year's $34.79. — Independent Sector with the Do Good Institute, 2026.
About 75.7 million Americans (28.3% of the population) formally volunteered through an organization in a recent measurement year, contributing roughly 4.99 billion hours of service. — U.S. Census Bureau & AmeriCorps, Volunteering and Civic Life in America.
That formal volunteering represented an estimated $167 billion in economic value. — AmeriCorps & U.S. Census Bureau, Volunteering and Civic Life in America.
State-level volunteer values range widely — from $17.99 per hour in Puerto Rico and $28.39 in Mississippi up to $54.77 per hour in the District of Columbia — because the estimate tracks local private-sector wages. — Independent Sector, Value of Volunteer Time (2025 data).
The volunteer hour value is built from average private-sector hourly earnings, excluding farm and managerial occupations, which is why it climbs as wages rise. — Independent Sector methodology, 2026.
People who volunteer are significantly more likely to donate, making volunteer engagement a leading indicator of giving, not a separate activity from fundraising. — Fidelity Charitable, The Role of Volunteering in Philanthropy.
Many federal grants let nonprofits count volunteer time as in-kind matching funds, so documenting hours can directly unlock or stretch grant dollars. — U.S. OMB Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR 200.306 (voluntary committed cost sharing).
Figures are drawn from each named source's most recent public reporting as of June 2026. National volunteering counts and economic value are periodically revised, so confirm the current figure in the original report before citing it in a formal application. Full source list below.
A defensible volunteer-value number can strengthen a proposal, satisfy a match requirement, and show your board the full scale of your impact.
Funders want documentation, not estimates scribbled after the fact. Log each shift, the volunteer, and the hours as they happen. When a report is due, you pull a number you can stand behind instead of guessing. This is exactly the kind of record-keeping Kindly's volunteer management tools are built to capture.
Use the national Independent Sector figure for a general impact statement, or your state's value when a funder asks you to localize the match. If volunteers perform specialized professional work (an attorney, an accountant, a licensed therapist), some funders prefer the fair market rate for that specific skill rather than the general volunteer rate. Check the funder's guidance first.
Always name Independent Sector and the year of the figure you used. The copy-paste statement above does this for you. A cited number reads as credible; an uncited one invites questions. Keep a screenshot or the source link in your grant file.
Volunteer value belongs in board reports, annual appeals, and your case for support. "Our volunteers gave $84,000 in time this year" lands harder than a raw hour count. For the mechanics of capturing those hours cleanly, read our volunteer hour tracking guide.
Volunteers, donors, events, and members all in one platform — for one predictable subscription instead of five. See the all-in-one platform or run the fundraising fee calculator.
Figures reflect each source's most recent public reporting available as of June 2026. National volunteering counts and the volunteer hour value are revised periodically; verify the current figure with the original source before citing it in a formal grant application or audited report.
Kindly brings volunteers, donors, events, and members together in one platform for one predictable subscription, so the value of every volunteer hour is already in your records when a report is due.
